


Forever and A Day

by sleeperswake



Series: Forever and A Day [1]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeperswake/pseuds/sleeperswake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the events of The Avengers. Darcy Lewis seeks out her old boss for a job after graduating college. What she didn't plan on was getting tangled in a strange relationship with the God of Mischief. Loki/Darcy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Life is made of many partings welded together._

_-Charles Dickens, Great Expectations_

It had been almost a year since the world had been almost taken over by alien invaders and the formation of The Avengers.

For Darcy Lewis, she was freshly out of college with nowhere to go.

After finishing up her internship with Jane, she ruefully went back to her boring dorm life in the University of New Mexico finishing her degree in poly-sci. When she left Jane (a couple weeks after the Thor incident and her first near death experience), Jane left her business card in a heartfelt thank you gift, saying that if she ever needed a job she should to give her a call.

Darcy flopped onto her back. With the poor economy, finding a well-paying job was increasingly difficult. Right now, she was reduced to a barista at Starbucks still living in her parents' house. Not that they complained—they loved having their "little girl" back and under their wing, but for Darcy, it gave her a painful reminder that her future was in the pits. Why did she choose to major in political science again? She wasn't exactly a people's person; she'd been an oddball all her life, making a few close friends that she kept in touch with. As much as sucked at physics, she enjoyed working with Jane and Erik. The feeling of a new discovery in the making was enough to make her (almost) enjoy preparing coffee and transcribing notes for hours on end.

After the Thor incident, reality wasn't good enough for her. She was still, after a year, trying to wrap her head around words like Asgard, Thor, Warriors Three, All-father, etc. Jane tried to explain Thor's theory on Yggdrasil, on how everything is connected because of some mystical tree. Or at least that's how Darcy saw it. She grew up with nine planets, not nine realms. However, her near death experience with a giant robot that could shoot deathly lasers out of its mouth was enough for her to believe. As the Keebler elf said, "Seeing is believing!"

So when she saw Thor on TV a couple months ago, her eyes bugged out of her head and she dropped her coffee. Everyone knew who Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk, but Thor was a mystery to everyone but her. Tempted to tell her school mates that she personally had pancakes with the God of Thunder, she had a feeling SHIELD wanted to keep him on the DL for now. Earth wasn't quite ready for a lesson in aliens, but the so-called Chitauri were under heavy scrutiny from experts so the border between magic and science were becoming blurrier and blurrier by the day.

And then there was Loki. Thor's little brother. The guy who sent a robot to destroy her town. When she first saw him, she laughed. The horns. He looked like some reindeer in a sci-fi-renaissance costume. That was her first impression, but it was quickly overturned as the media showed him on a hover-board with an army of aliens. He was evil with a capital E, but the Avengers were able to take him down and he went on his way to some Asgardian form of prison or punishment. The world died down after that, since people were concentrating on rebuilding the alien destroyed parts in New York City. It was all quickly swept under the rug and from Darcy's mind as she concentrated on finishing up her last semester.

Eyeing a red gift bag on the opposite side of her room, she wondered if Jane would even remember her. Who knows, maybe she already discovered her Einstein-Rosen Bridge thing and didn't need any help. Or maybe she was with Thor. Or maybe…

Darcy rolled off her bed with a soft thud and grabbed the bag in a swift motion. Pushing her insecure thoughts aside, she scrounged for the card Jane had given to her. Pulling it out with an "Aha!" she whipped out her cell and punched in the numbers.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jane! It's Darcy!"

"DARCY!" Jane screamed excitedly from the other end, making Darcy pull the phone from her ear an inch.

"What's up? How did your last semester of college go? Did you find a job? And did you see Thor on TV?" Darcy grinned. Same old Jane.

"I'm cutting to your third question. See, I'm actually having a bit of trouble finding a job…"

 


	2. Chapter One

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2013_

Glasses? Check.

Purse? Check.

Confidence? Not so much.

Darcy swept a piece of flyaway hair behind her ear as she assessed herself in front of the mirror. Today was the start of her fourth week in the Big Apple, aka New York City. Her phone call with Jane progressed to an offer of a full-time job as her assistant. Although Jane was supposed to keep hush-hush about working for SHIELD (The higher-ups became interested in her work on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge and offered her their resources and she gladly went on board) She assured Darcy that it was okay since she knew about Thor and Asgard. Jane said that she could really use an assistant, so after a couple phone calls with SHIELD, Darcy had the clearance to move to New York.

So after a tearful and heartfelt goodbye from her parents, Darcy said goodbye New Meico, hello New York! Jane met her at the airport looking pretty as ever in a simple cream dress, with a huge smile on her face. They embraced, and Jane ushered her into a yellow taxi as they sped to Darcy's new apartment. Apparently SHIELD wanted to keep their agents safe (even if said agent was only there to provide coffee and sarcastic comments), so living arrangements came with the job. Darcy had no complaints—house hunting was a chore, and she didn't want to impose on Jane and Thor.

Jane told her how much they've progressed in the past year; they're getting closer and closer every day. And not to mention Tony Stark was chipping in when he wasn't saving the world.

"Can you believe it, Darcy?  _Tony Stark. Iron Man_  is interested in my work! He's been such a big help even though astrophysics isn't his thing. And he said if I needed to build anything, his resources are available!"

According to Jane, SHIELD said that she had three weeks to settle in and she could report in on her fourth week. Jane said she'd come by at 10 to pick her up and show her around the headquarters and her new office space.

Brushing down her work clothes again, and triple-checking to make sure there was no lint on her new black pencil-skirt, she breathed out and proceeded out her bathroom. Her phone gave a small  _ding_  with a message from Jane telling her that she was here.

It was a sunny day in the city and the concrete streets glistened since it rained last night. Darcy stepped into the lobby of her apartment building, and was greeted by Jane in her business suit. Tucked under her arm was a physics textbook in a black binding.

"Ready?"

"I'm not sure. Working with superheroes and a secret organization is still trying to seep into my brain."

Jane laughed as they walked out of the building, lacing her arm with Darcy's. "You'll get used to it—trust me. It's actually pretty normal, if you take out all the inter-dimensional science and superpowers." Darcy rolled her eyes with a smile forming at her lips. Only Jane would say that working with a God of Thunder is normal. Might as well call it magic. How did Thor's hammer even work? Was Pikachu inside of it so he could summon thunder whenever he wanted?

"…And Thor said you're welcome to talk to him if you're ever feeling uncomfortable." Darcy listened to Jane with an on and off ear, knowing she was rambling to make her feel more at ease.

Jane hailed a cab, but it wasn't a yellow one. It was a sleek black, like the one business people used. Darcy stepped in, and jumped back in alarm to see a man in a suit sitting on the opposite end.

"Hello Miss Lewis. Welcome to your first day at SHIELD." Darcy tentatively slipped in while Jane took the front seat and shut the door.

"You're the guy who stole my iPod!" She blurted out. Probably not the best thing to say on her first day of work, but it slipped out anyway. Agent Coulson showed no emotion other than his eerie calm smile and continued.

"I believe we apologized for that and you're new job should provide for a new one in time." Well, she actually got one as a goodbye present from Jane, but she didn't bother mentioning it.

"Anyway, I believe Miss Foster already told you some basic guide lines for working with us. I'm here to solidify that." He pulled a clipboard from his briefcase and handed it to her. "A copy of these guidelines will be sent to your company email for to look over at any time. Now, if you would please read it over and sign at the bottom."

Darcy scanned it to get the general gist. It pretty much consisted of three things: One, keep it secret. Two, SHIELD has full access to any of her possessions and files to keep everything secure. Three, Any funny business will result in a direct firing and possible memory wipe. Okay, no sweat. How hard could a secretary be anyway? It's not like she'd be directly talking with The Avengers and finding out all their weaknesses and dirty secrets.

She took the dangling pen attached to the clipboard and signed a messy  _Darcy Lewis_  at the bottom and handed the clipboard back to Coulson.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I believe Miss Foster will take it from here. If you have any questions on the guidelines, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes sir," She said as they unloaded from the car. A serious looking black building stood in front of her with three steel doors at the front, guarded by two security guards.

Agent Coulson signaled to them that she was with him and Jane so they let her get in without a fancy key card. She noticed that they both put on their badges as they walked into the steel doors.

The interior was frighteningly  _normal_  as Jane put it. At the front was a desk that looked like a visitor's information station with several couches and coffee tables on the opposite side. The ceiling held modern light fixtures that were held by a steel cable and then a lamp. In the center were two large elevators and behind was a glass staircase. Overall, it was quite posh and breathed efficiency.

"We're the 7th floor down," Jane said as she slid in her key-card and pushed a button. "As soon as I show you to your office, we'll get your official documents so you can at least use the bathroom!"

"We need a card to use the bathroom? What's someone going to do, rig the pipes so it explodes on the next person?"

"That would be an excellent suggestion, but for perhaps something less…Distasteful?" The doors opened up and a dark-haired man in a business suit stepped onto the elevator with them. Dark hair. Pale skin. Green eyes. No…It couldn't be. His hair was definitely shorter than on the news…But…

"Loki! Good morning!" Jane smiled and handed him the physics book that she was carrying. "I was going to stop by the lab and give it to you then, but might as well."

"Thank you, Jane. Hopefully this will help me understand more so we can speed the process along."

"Oh please, you're plenty smart! We just have to find a way to harness enough energy into a capacitor to…."

Did she just step into the Twilight zone? Was this not the evil horned dude who tried to take over their world a year ago? Did he have a good twin or something? She didn't recall Thor mentioning a third brother…And why the hell was Jane so friendly with the guy who tried to  _kill_  Thor.

"I was actually on my way to your lab; I had some papers to deliver to Mr. Selvig and I wanted to discuss some variations in the blueprints you finished the other day."

Darcy was pretty sure she was doing a good imitation of a fish right about now as she looked back between Jane and Loki.

"Sure. Hopefully Erik can keep you entertained long enough; I have to get Darcy comfortable first. Oh! Sorry Darc, this is Loki. I'm sure you've err…Seen him on the news. Darcy, this is Loki, Thor's brother. Loki, this is Darcy Lewis, my new assistant. We worked together in New Mexico."

"Yeah. I was actually there when you sent that Destroyer thing on Thor and blew our town up." She knew she was being rude, but seriously. He sent an army of aliens on them. Jane looked sheepish at this point, not knowing whether to defend Loki or let him take the beating.

Loki looked unflappable; he's probably gotten this before. However, his eye brows knit in concern realizing that she was there for his first attempt to harm Earth. "I apologize for…Causing you and your world distress. I know it's hard to wrap your head around, but I am here with no hostility intended." He extended his hand and Darcy warily shook once and let go.

The elevator dinged, signaling that they reached their destination. Loki stepped out swiftly and turned to face Darcy and Jane. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Miss Lewis. Perhaps we'll see each other again."

"Uh, you too." She replied, still unsure what to make of the situation. Jane went in the opposite direction, and Darcy followed.

The floor was similar to the lobby; elegant, but the ceiling was lower. The main floor had a spread of cubicles as officer workers typed on their laptops or made calls. Jane gestured to the back of the room, where Darcy assumed this was her office. JANE FOSTER was written across in strict black writing on the maple door.

"I'm sorry you can't have an office of your own, but your cubicle is right across from mine so we can exchange notes easily." Darcy waved her off.

"It's fine, bosslady. I'm just glad I have a job!" Jane laughed and told her that she could put her belongings down. Darcy noticed that SHIELD had issued her a new laptop and her name was written on a nameplate that sat upon her desk. Nice. The walls of the cubicle had a corkboard and a small lamp sat in the corner of the desk. The desk came equipped with several drawers. And Darcy's favorite, of course, were the brightly colored post-its in the main drawer.

"Alright, let's get your keycard and ID badge."

They took the elevator back up to the main floor where the (as Darcy liked to call it) Welcome Desk stood. On their way up, Darcy couldn't help but mention the elephant in the room (or elevator?)

"So…Loki." She began, unsure of where to go from there.

"I know it's weird, but he's really trying." Jane shrugged. "Thor trusts him, and he worries about him a lot, so I'm polite. Apparently he got punished in Asgard and Thor doesn't like to talk about it, but he says that he paid well for his crimes. He wants to help Earth out by working for SHIELD."

"What does he do?" She asked, still ambiguous.

"I'm not sure, actually," Jane laughed but looked embarrassed. "He's been helping me out with the Bridge, and he's been  _so_ helpful. Thor knows things, but Loki really  _knows_  things. He explained to me the different realms and their cultures," She paused, and a smile graced her features. "He and Thor tried to explain magic to me and how it correlates with science. I don't understand much, but he tries to offer his insight when he can. And he's interested in physics, so I lend him some books." Of course, Darcy thought. If there was any way to Jane's heart it was science. She wondered how much of Loki's interest was actually in physics or whether he was trying to be friendly to his brother's girlfriend.

"Just give him a chance. He's really polite."

"I noticed." Darcy thought back to the elevator. He was such a gentleman, though so was Thor when he arrived on Earth. She remembered how he bowed to her and Erik, and he kissed Jane's hand. Must be an Asgardian thing.

"All of SHIELD was on the edge when he first came, but The Avengers warmed up to him. Most people don't even want to talk to him and avoid him as much as possible. Our department has been getting better after seeing him work."

Darcy pursed her lips. Hopefully she wouldn't be encountering him too often; He wasn't called the God of Mischief and  _Lies_  for nothing, she assumed. Jane pulled her into an office to get her picture taken and she was given a badge and card. Her badge read 'Level One.'

"So, uh, I can at least go to the bathroom with this, right?" Jane giggled and said yes and told her to go back to her cubicle—There was work to be done. Darcy smiled and swiped the elevator with her new card and pressed 7.

* * *

"Darcy! I'm heading out now. Can you finish transcribing these last few things?"

"No problem. Have a nice night, Jane!" Jane waved and left in a flurry. It was 7:30 and she was on the cusp of finishing her first day of work. Although it was rather dull, she liked the underlying buzz of excitement even though not many liked to acknowledge it.

She saw Erik earlier, and he was glad to see her, saying "No one prepares coffee quite like you did!" She knew he was just being nice, but he was like a father figure to her during her internship.

Finishing the last of her notes, she shut the laptop down and gathered her papers into a manila folder. Checking her surroundings to make sure she didn't forget anything, she closed the lamp and stepped from her cubicle and made a beeline for the elevator. Her stomach ached since she didn't have anything to eat other than a scone and she was going to reward herself with a nice sushi dinner. It was a pat on the back for herself to say, "You made it! Now keep going!"

She didn't see the tall figure in front of her, so she made contact with the floor with a groaning "Owwww."

Finding her glasses, she fixed them back onto her face and saw a hand being extended towards her. Oh great, it was Loki. She still didn't know what to make of him.

"I'm deeply sorry," He said in some quasi British accent and lifted her up.

"Don't worry 'bout it. Entirely my fault." Sheepish, and slightly frightened at being alone with a former— possibly in the process reformed—bad guy, she looked awkwardly to the floor.

"I'm headed out to dinner right now to congratulate myself for actually getting a job. Know any good sushi places?" Oh god, was she actually asking him for  _food_  recommendations?

"I have never actually had sushi. Though I hear many people say the restaurant on 48th Street is nice." Well then. Hopefully it was in her budget.

"You've never had sushi? And you've been living here for what…A year? Dude, you're seriously missing out." He gave her a blank look, contemplating what to say. "I hope they have sake," She added as an afterthought, daring to look him in the eye.

She noticed that his hair was a bit frazzled than the gelled state it was in this morning and his tie was a pulled loosely away from his neck only making his disheveled appearance more attractive. His green eyes looked tired from the dark circles beginning to form, but they were as lost in thought as ever. Warning bells went off in her head; she  _should not_  be thinking of a potential bad guy like that. But she was a female with eyes. Sue her.

She would probably regret her next few words, but to hell with it. He looked like he could use some fun and maybe she should take Jane's advice and give him a chance. If Jane's comments were correct, he didn't have many people he could call friends besides his brother and possibly some of the Avengers.

"You wanna come with me? You'd have to pay for yourself, but I'm sure you can manage." Jesus. Did she just ask him out on a date? They were paying separately. But how much did he know about mortal customs?

Darcy did what she normally did in awkward situations: Babble. "It's okay if you say no. I know we're total strangers, and our introduction was rude on my part. It's just that you tried to take over my world and I know that you probably don't care because Asgard is supposed to be super cool, but I care a lot and I was looking forward to graduating—I mean I did, obviously, and now I'm here and I'm probably going to—"

"Yes." Former super villain say what?

"Yes?" She managed to splutter out.

He gave her an odd look, wondering if he was phrasing himself correctly. "I accept your invitation to dinner."

Oh. "Great!" Making a motion towards the elevator, she pressed the 'up' button and waited in an awkward silence. Sneaking another glance at him, she noticed he was re-adjusting his tie and attempting to fix his hair. Even gods have bad hair days; she mused and resisted the urge to giggle as the elevator arrived.

"You said 48th street?" She asked, pulling out her phone.

"I believe that's what they said," He replied in his smooth voice.

"Found it. Cool, let's go get a cab."

* * *

Ever since Loki agreed to go back to Midgard with Thor, Loki had been on the receiving end of several insults. It was amazing how many ways mortals could find to say he's an awful person. Some were more creative while others preferred the mindless ease of "cursing him out," as Tony Stark liked to put it. He didn't mind; he knew he deserved every single one of them. So when the mortal called Darcy Lewis said that she was there for his first endeavor to cause mayhem on Earth, it caught him a little off guard. Most people knew him as the man who summoned an alien army and destroyed most of New York City. Apologizing like the gentleman he was trying to be, the girl didn't really say much but more confused on him and Miss Foster's amiable state. In all honesty, he got along with her more for Thor's sake than his own personal interest. However, he found their conversations interesting; she was certainly smarter than most mortals on Midgard and he often wondered what she sees in Thor.

So when he ran into Darcy later that day, (or rather, _she_  ran into  _him_ ) he was taken back by her sudden invitation for dinner. She looked as weary as he felt, but something in him _wanted_  to go. Maybe for some fun, or maybe a chance to see what her true impression of him is. She had spent some time with Thor, so he wondered what Thor had told her about him and how much she knew of Asgard. Most of the SHIELD workers kept close to their work and even the one's working on Jane's bridge had a scarce knowledge of what really lay outside their realm.

She began to ramble off nonsensical words, so he quickly said yes to make her stop, which she clearly didn't expect. Well, she offered, didn't she?

Now they were at the sushi place called Hatsuhana, situated at the bar and Darcy was gobbling down her rolls in a non-lady like manner.

"Eat up," She said, wagging her chopsticks at him. "This is seriously the best sushi I've had."

He stared at the Dragon roll (It was a terrible attempt to capture a dragon's likeness in his opinion, but he didn't comment) and picked up his chopsticks. He had seen other humans use it while eating Chinese food. Carefully looking at Darcy, and hoping she wouldn't notice, he imitated her position and quickly scooped the roll into his mouth.

It was quite good for a Midgardian food, he determined, as he finished it up. Darcy rocked her legs back and forth on the swivel chair and she ordered a beverage called  _sake_.

"Can gods get drunk?" She asked, a smile playing at her lips.

"They can, but it's very difficult. Our bodies metabolize things quickly and while eating is not a necessity for us to live, it is to avoid discomfort."

"Must be nice," She took a sip.

"Quite. And the ale on Asgard is incomparable to this," He gestured towards her drink "Sake."

"I'm sure, but this stuff is pretty awesome too. Want some?" The bottle was in her one had while the other held a cup that was empty.

He nodded and allowed her to pour for him as he took a sip. Good, but again, Asgardian ale was better. He told her this and she puffed out her cheeks.

"Oh come on. I need to try some of this ale one day. I wonder if Thor likes the drinks here." At Thor's name, the smirk on his lips fell a bit.

"Hey, don't be Mr. Grumpy Gills. Are you and Thor cool now? Last time I saw, you were beating the crap out of each other on top of Stark Tower and then before you sent a metal robot of doom on him. Something must've been up." He couldn't tell if she was brave because of the amount of alcohol she was drinking or whether she was simply gusty. Either way, the question discomforted him, but she looked at him with her eager blue eyes.

"We are…Better," He said, playing it safe. She jerked an eyebrow up and shrugged as she poured herself another cup of sake.

"That's good."

"Indeed. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you here?" He didn't mean to sound so blunt, but she intrigued him nonetheless.

"Oh. That." She laughed as if it were some inside joke to her. And she began to explain to him her circumstance before she arrived in New York and how she felt useless since she couldn't get a job anywhere with a degree in Political Science.

Loki checked his phone, noting the time. He really should be getting back home since he had a huge day tomorrow and needed to rest, but she continued to ramble on, taking drinks of sake in between sentences. He noticed that they finished their second bottle and she was on her way to finishing the third by herself.

Her words began to become slurred and her motions were slow as if she couldn't see well. "Miss Lewis, I believe you are  _drunk_." He said, half amused and half worried.

"Nuh uh." She stuck a playful tongue out on him as the bar man dropped off both their checks.

"Ohhhh snap. $200 dollars? I'm going to have to work my ass off!" She fumbled in her purse for a credit card, but Loki stopped her with his hand.

"Allow me." He put money into both of their checks and gave it to the bar man. Darcy looked at him with wonder, cheeks red.

"It's no trouble. SHIELD has provided me with more money than I need."

Darcy stood up to leave, but found she nearly toppled over and used him for support. They were planning on taking separate cabs home, but Loki decided against it since she could barely walk on her own.

"You really dun hafta to do that…" Darcy muttered as he helped her into the car.

"I don't think Miss Foster would appreciate me leaving her assistant alone and drunk in the city."

Rolling her eyes, she held onto his jacket sleeve and rested her head on his shoulder as they sped into the night. To the cab driver, they probably looked like an ordinary couple, not a god or a new SHIELD agent. And for that, Loki felt content. While perturbed at the contact between them, he didn't entirely mind it. He noted that her hair, although tussled, framed her features quite nicely. Her red lips were closed (for once) and her eyes closed as she became sleepy from the soft jostle of the car. The white shirt she was wearing was unbuttoned the first couple notches, giving him a generous view of her frontal area. He suppressed looking, but it was too late by the time his eyes darted to the window.

The cab came to a stop and Loki paid the driver and nudged Darcy awake. Still bleary eyed and not quite stable, he helped her up the stairs to her apartment. Shuffling for her keys, Loki stood, wondering if he should just simply magic the door open for her.

After finding her key, she invited him inside with a hand wave. It was nearly 2 am and he was supposed to meet Fury at 7, but he stepped in anyway.

"Will you be okay?"

"Yeah…Juss fine," Darcy flung her purse onto the kitchen table and disappeared into her bathroom. Loki contemplated on leaving and was about to, but she reappeared in a pink silk robe and threw herself onto the bed with a flop.

He came to her bedside, unsure if she was asleep since both her eyes were closed. "I should be going now. Thank you for the lovely night." And it was the truth. Although most of the talking had been on her part, he genuinely enjoyed her company and her strange quirks. She tended to babble about things he was unaware of, but it amused him. Her hand flew up and pulled at his suit jacket.

"Why don't you stay the night?" She mumbled, though fully comprehendible.

He raised an eyebrow. "I may not be fully aware of mortal customs, but if you're implying that we should sleep together—"

"No, you idiot," He breathed out in relief, but wondered at what she was actually implying.

"Just…stay for a bit. Please?"

 _All-Father help him_ , he thought as he magicked himself into more comfortable clothes that consisted of dark green t-shirt and pants. He pulled back the covers and lied awkwardly on his side, away from Darcy. Shutting off the lights, Darcy cuddled up next to him, which made him freeze.

"You know…You're not too bad." He chuckled and let sleep overtake him. For his last night on Midgard, this was pretty good.

* * *

Darcy awoke to a weight being lifted from her bed, causing her to shift positions. Eyes shooting open, she realized that Loki stood at the end of her bed in a full suit, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 6:00.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I mean, we didn't, but…I'm such an idiot," She finished lamely as memories from last night came back to her.

"It's fine, Miss Lewis. I didn't take you for a cuddler." He was making a joke, but her face heated up.

"If I remember correctly, you even paid for my dinner," She groaned as she flopped back into her bed.

"How much do I owe you? I'm really really sorry. I don't usually get drunk, I just got a bit excited; I haven't had an incredible meal with a good-looking guy in such a long time." Oh great. She just called him good-looking too. At this rate, he probably wouldn't speak to her ever again. It'd be one of those memories that you lock up inside of you and not tell anyone, but awkwardly share as you both make eye contact at a company party or something like that. Did SHIELD even have parties? Besides the point, she told herself, and looked back up at Loki who was laughing.

"It really is fine, Miss Lewis. Don't trouble yourself. Yesterday was my last day on Midgard, and you made it quite enjoyable."

"Darcy."

"Pardon?"

"I mean, you can call me Darcy. I know you're super polite, but Darcy is okay. We did sleep together anyway," She joked. Realizing what he said, "Wait. Yesterday was your last day on Earth? Did you do something wrong?"

"Quite the contrary, actually. I have a meeting with Fury in an hour and then I'm off."

"Oh, I get it. SHIELD business." He nodded and came to her side.

"We can be friends, though. I will not be on leave forever and I think it would be…Nice."

Friends? Darcy looked absolutely gob smacked realizing that the God of Mischief suggested that they should be friends. She expected it to happen gradually if it weren't for the whole getting drunk part. After all, she did kinda pour her heart out to him at dinner but she didn't expect such a forward move from him.

She extended a hand. "Friends would nice." They shook, leaving Darcy in a smile.

"I must go now. Goodbye, Darcy."

"Bye, Loki. Good luck with whatever you're doing." He gave a half smirk and opened her door.

"Wait!" She shouted, stopping him. "How will we keep in touch? I don't think cell phones work inter-dimensional yet."

"I'll find a way," He replied shutting the door with an affirmed  _click._  Darcy lied back into her bed, wondering what the hell just happened. Somehow, through all his sincerity, she wondered if he was just toying with her, but she was pretty sure he meant everything he said. He even paid her silly request to stay the night even though she was drunk.

Rolling onto her side to fall back asleep, she realized that his scent was still on her pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about the date on the top: For those that are unaware, One Day showcases the lives of two people for one day each year. I'll be doing the same with Darcy and Loki. In the book, the author picks St. Swithin's day for symbolic purposes. I picked May 4th since that's the day The Avengers came out. For the restaurant Hatsuhana: it is real and I have eaten there :)


	3. Chapter Two

_Loki,_

_I still find it extremely weird that they don't have cameras in Asgard, but you can do freaking_ magic  _and you have a rainbow bridge. I guess you guys do it the old fashioned way and pose for a painting. _~~You should have seen Thor's face the first time he discovered Facebook.~~  __ _Next time you're back on Earth, I should take you to one of those photo booths on the boardwalk ~~ _so at least we can remember each other's faces. Your mug shots in the SHIELD files aren't too flattering._~~_

 _How do you like my new stationary? :P I bought it just for you, so you should be grateful! I felt so dull compared to your fancy_ parchment _and_ wax seals _. We have imitation stuff, but yours is the real deal. They had scented paper too, but I didn't think you'd appreciate it as much as the pseudo renaissance art. Tell me what you think, okay?_

 _Is it weird you're one of my really good friends even though we've only talked face to face once? I have Jane, but she's always so busy so our conversations don't span more than the topic of work and the little nuances that go on in each other's life. Don't get me wrong, I love her and if I ever need some girl time, she's there. It's just…Different. (I'm making the hand motion that they do in_ Fantastic Mr. Fox _. You have no idea what I'm talking about, but you'll see when you come back. We totally need a movie marathon so you can understand all these references I'm making!)_

_I'm really glad things are better with your parents. Thor told me bits and pieces of what happened before you ~ _decided to take over the world~__ _came here. I think I would be pretty angry too if I found out I was adopted after a millennia. (Or more? When's your birthday, anyway?) Even if your dad still treats you distantly, your mom still loves you to bits. I bet your mom is a total Lady Macbeth. But without all the angst and condescension. I mean with power. She wears the pants._

_Things here at SHIELD are pretty boring. Jane's starting to build some pieces for her bridge, but the process is still slow since she's working out some kinks in the system and she doesn't want to bother Stark unless she knows for sure something will work. For me, that just means more note taking and filing. It's alright; at least I'm making money. Dating totally sucks because apparently I have to get clearance from SHIELD if I meet anyone. I might as well date within the company, but all these people are super smart or badass with weapons._

_I don't really have much else to say. I hope whatever you're doing in Asgard is going well. Drink some Ale for me!_

_~Darcy_

* * *

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2014_

"Brother!" Thor's voice boomed. "A letter from Midgard." He strode to Loki's figure in the garden. Loki turned to face Thor. A blue bubble like object flew above his head, but he quickly dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you, Thor," He took the envelope labeled 'Loki' in a messy cursive and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He resumed his magic as he waved both his hands this time and a large green bubble formed. Thor stood with a stupid grin on his face and he clapped Loki against his back.

"Your friendship with Miss Lewis still surprises me. I wasn't aware that you two even knew each other until you approached me after your arrival on Asgard. Did something happen between you two—"

"No, Thor," Loki rolled his eyes as he cut him off, knowing where this conversation would be going. He enjoyed his brother's happiness, but the constant whistling and dare he say it— _skipping_  from Thor each time he arrived from Midgard was getting rather tiresome. He knew most of Thor's time on Midgard was spent with his beloved Jane Foster and helping out his playgroup, The Avengers. Although Loki had no desire to tussle with them, he did have obligations towards their employer.

"We're friends. We met on my last night in Midgard and we partook in sushi together."  _And he spent the night in her bed,_ but he did not add that, knowing Thor would interpret in all the wrong ways.

"Do you not miss Midgard at all? It _has_  been a year."

Loki paused. No, he did not miss it. Asgard was his home, even though most of the time he felt like he didn't belong here. Few knew of his Jotunn heritage; mainly the court and the Warriors Three and Sif. Even then, he could not look them in the eye anymore and settled for working on his business with SHIELD rather than awkwardly dance around the topic. His mother worried for him; he hated seeing the concern in her eyes every time he took dinner to his room like a dejected school boy. She tried to approach him a few times, but in every instance he brushed it away, and said he knows she loves him. Loki gave Thor strict instructions not to tell anyone that he's a Frost Giant, including the members of SHIELD and The Avengers and Thor complied without any comment. He knew Thor wasn't entirely comfortable. Growing up with the horrific stories of Frost Giants could not be over turned after eons.

He remembered the tales Darcy wrote him of her own country and how so much was able to change in the span of about 200 years. She spoke of civil rights with a variety of groups and that although the path was not easy; they each managed to achieve parts of what they wanted. In the back of his mind, he wondered if perhaps the same could happen with Asgard. Asgard was so embedded in its roots unlike the young United States of America and due to this, change would be more difficult, he surmised. For now, he concentrated on Thor and weighed his response in his head.

"I do not belong there, Thor. You stay for your beloved and The Avengers, but that is only temporary," He looked at Thor in the eye as Thor's hand clenched around Mjolnir. "Father has high expectations from you; you can't live in both worlds forever. It's about time you started taking more responsibility here rather than in Midgard. You're involvement with SHIELD is no more than petty amusement."

"Do you really believe that, Brother?" Thor's soft tone surprised Loki as Thor grasped his shoulder. "I am glad to call them my  _friends._  It reminds me much of the time we spent with The Warriors Three," Loki opened his mouth to counter him, but Thor held up a hand to let him continue. "But those times are behind me—for now. I made an oath to take care of Midgard and if…" He stopped, carefully trying to choose his words, "Jane's time is  _limited_ , there is no harm in savoring the moments we have together. I love her dearly, Loki. I know it difficult for you to comprehend, but I do. She is my world and I don't want think about  _what ifs_  if I am pleased with what is in front of me."

Loki looked at Thor with a retort on the tip of his tongue, but something stopped him from lashing out. Perhaps it was Thor's sincerity, or maybe it was the nagging voice in the back of Loki's mind that cried out hypocrisy. Wasn't he interacting with the Midgardians as well? Although the distance between them was much greater than Thor's, he was still assisting Nicholas Fury and his interactions with Darcy were friendlier than he liked to admit. The envelope in his jacket seemed to weigh more even though nothing changed. He drew a breath. It was so typical of Thor to be swayed by emotions, despite later consequences. In their youth, it was always Loki who carefully thought out plans, who made sure there were no loopholes and who thought of excuses in case they were ever caught.

"I may not agree, but please be prudent with your decisions. I know it's in your nature to be impulsive, but perhaps you should think more about what lies ahead." Thor gave a booming laugh.

"I know I am impulsive. That is what led us to our current circumstances. I may regret many of my decisions, but I am truly happy now. I'm glad to call you my brother again and I have Jane in my life. If I promise to think more, will you promise me something?"

"What could I _possibly_  promise you?"

Thor grinned impishly. "You should endeavor to act more impulsively. You would be surprised where it takes you." Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but a smirk formed as he began to stride away from Thor and into the palace.

"Perhaps," He said. Thor gave a little wave and smiled as he noticed Loki retrieving the letter from his jacket.

* * *

"So how's your penpal?"

Darcy choked on her iced tea as Jane sat down with her lunch tray. "We're not  _penpals_ , Jane. We're friends."

"That exchange letters and don't see each other often. Therefore you're penpals. And you have Thor playing paperboy for the two of you. When was the last time you saw him, anyway?"

Darcy opened her mouth as she checked her phone. "Actually, it's been a year. Funny you mention it today."

Jane squirted some dressing onto her salad and she took a fork and delved in. "Thor delivered your letter this morning. No offense, but I still think it's really weird you guys are friends. You saw the guy for what…A couple minutes? And not to mention you sassed him out in the elevator."

Darcy rolled her eyes, knowing that they've had this conversation millions of times. "I did not sass him out! How would you like it if I saw you being all chummy with a former supervillian?  _And_ ," She looked at Jane in mock accusation, "You're the one who told me to give him a chance. So I did. You're just jealous because you're not the only one with an alien prince BFF. Or in your case, BF."

Jane crunched one of her salad leaves and swallowed. "Okay, you win. I'd be pretty freaked out too. I just didn't think one meeting would turn into daily letters."

Giving a playful  _harumph¸_  Darcy proceeded to finish her soup. She had told Jane that they had sushi later, but happily left out the minor details of her getting drunk and him staying at her apartment. It was Friday and she was dead tired. Jane had just gotten the okay to start building a new capacitor. Or at least that's the general gist of what she got. Apparently Tony Stark was more than happy to contribute his own Arc Reactor plans so it would be able to generate the energy they needed without blowing up half of New York.

She told Loki bits and pieces of this to get his input, but he said he needed to be there to have a proper assessment. He already had a way to Asgard and any other of the eight realms, but he said Midgardian science was a field all in its own with different laws he wasn't quite accustomed to. Biting her lip, she thought back to his last letter and his description of Valhalla. His handwriting looked like it could be out of a fantasy book; it was so perfect and elegant and she swore he used a quill to write everything. His detailed explanation was poetic and it painted a lovely picture of Asgard, hence her wondering if he could tack a picture. Thor said that there were no such things as cameras, but they had plenty of 20 foot paintings in their halls.

"Darcy? Darce? Helloooo!" Darcy snapped out of her train of thought.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

Jane looked at her, concerned. "I was saying that you look really tired and kinda pale. Do you want to go home? It's Friday, so we won't be embarking on anything mind numbing."

Darcy was about to wave Jane off, knowing that she's felt worse, but the thought of returning to her apartment and snuggling up in her PJs and watching a movie was too much for her to take.

"I really appreciate it, Jane. If you need anything, just call. Though I can't promise I'll respond, I'll probably have my face in ice cream or be passed out."

Jane gave her a reassuring smile as she rose from her chair. "Don't worry about it. I'd rather you rest for the next couple of days than be miserable at work."

Darcy said goodbye as Jane strode back off to the lab. She slung her purse over her shoulder, and made her way back home looking forward to her fuzzy robe.

* * *

When she opened her apartment door, she did not expect to see Loki sprawled across her bed in a full suit, reading what looked like her letter. She let out a shrill scream, and he casually looked up from his reading without a hint of bewilderment.

"Hello, Darcy. I see you added some furniture since my last visit."

"H-how…Why…You asshole!" His eyebrows jerked up in response as she thrust a fuzzy pink throw pillow in his direction. He could have easily blocked it, but he let it hit him in the head to amuse her. She folded her arms.

"Feel better?" He asked with an infuriating smirk.

"Much." She plopped down next to him, taking in his appearance and odd air of serenity. She saw the letter she wrote yesterday, immediately blushing. He was always so sincere in his letters, and she often wondered what he really thought with her limited adjectives and verbs and nonsensical descriptions. Loki tucked the letter away and glanced at her.

"I wasn't expecting you until tonight. Did something happen at work?"

"How long were you in my apartment for? I know you can magic yourself anywhere you want, but you could have at least given me a heads up. Like some version of," She tried to imitate his accent, _"_ Oh, by the way Darcy I'm coming in for a visit. Would you like to grab a coffee when you're on your lunch break?"

"I do not sound like that."

Glaring, she yelled, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I highly doubt that, seeing as you have no cardiac issues. I thought you would have been happier to see me. Should I leave?"

"No!" Darcy said a little too loud and quickly, automatically making him ease back down into her bed. She sighed, grabbing a handful of her hair.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I wasn't feeling too well, so Jane let me go early." Looking beneath her lashes, she asked quietly, "Why are you here? I thought you still had SHIELD stuff to do."

Loki chuckled. She missed him, she realized. Was it possible to miss someone you only knew for a couple of hours? The letters they exchanged made her feel close to him—closer than some people she had known for years. Her best friend lived across the country and they exchanged emails every so often, but she was busy with her life since she was getting married soon. Darcy missed her terribly, but found excitement in her newfound friendship with Loki. He now knew that she had a terrible fear of spiders and that her favorite drink was sweetened iced tea, but sometimes she preferred to have it unsweetened because she felt healthier that way. She didn't have a favorite movie because she was such a cinephiliac and sometimes she liked to wander the city and see where it took her. He knew all of this and more, in the span of a year. And here he was, on her bed looking like he belonged there.

"Let's just say I made a promise to Thor." He shifted and sat upright, leaning his head against her numerous amount of stacked pillows. "I believe you said the next time I'm here that we should visit a 'photo booth' on a boardwalk?"

"How long will you be here?" Darcy asked, biting her lip. She was so drained, but she was fully willing to go out if he wanted to. She also wondered what type of promise Thor made him keep, hoping that Thor wasn't relaying false information to Loki like she was sighing over him or something. Okay, sometimes she sighed and had ridiculous thoughts when she read his letters, but they were strictly platonic feelings. Mostly.

"Just today. I have a meeting with Fury in a couple weeks, though."

"Okay." Darcy checked the time, noting that it was only 12:30. "I'm going to get changed. We'll go to Coney Island and nab those pictures. Until then," She picked up the remote laying on her on night stand and clicked the on button. "Watch some TV. I would recommend something to you, but you know how many shows I obsess over. You're probably better off choosing yourself." She threw him the remote and he caught it in a blasé manner and scrolled through the channels as she busied herself in the bathroom.

* * *

When Thor suggested that he should act impulsively for once, he quickly dismissed the thought as another Thor-ish comment that wasn't applicable to him. He knew he was cautious and he had no qualms over it because he avoided a lot of trouble that way.

So when he opened Darcy's letter, his mind couldn't help relaying the conversation over. In truth, he had thought of visiting her and then disappearing just to scare her and get a good laugh, but he always held back. The girl was strange; she often told him her random quirks through random stories. She claimed her job was pretty boring, and her latest encounter with a spider was much more interesting than anything going in SHIELD. It probably was, considering she plunged the creature to death. In return, he told her stories of Asgard and his adventures with Thor and the Warriors Three. (plus Sif, but the only time he liked to mention her was when he made her out to be a witch)

In a spurt of vulnerability, he told her his reasons for coming to take over Midgard and the nature of his parentage. He left out that he was a Frost Giant and the punishment he served after his stint with The Avengers. She responded in a surprising way; she sympathized and reassured him that although he did many wrong things (like killing 80 people in 2 days) he could always redeem himself, and to her, he already was. She then compared his situation to a movie called  _The Lion King_  since he just wanted to be his brother's equal and be treated as such. She said the only difference is that he goes to 'good' side (he scoffed at that) while the lion in the film doesn't. He of course, had no idea what the movie was about and was mildly insulted that she was comparing him to a lion, but since it had the word 'king' in it, he let it slide.

He had grown a fondness for the girl, even daring to call her a good friend, since he didn't have any. His mother, (rather embarrassingly) asked if he too found a mortal lover since he often gave Thor a scroll when they saw each other in the mornings at breakfast. Loki replied with a terse "No," but Thor began to describe Darcy to their mother, but made it clear they were just "penpals," as Jane liked to put. Frigga just looked at Loki adoringly and told him to send Darcy her well wishes. Needless to say, he didn't.

In her letters, Darcy always commented about things they would do when he came back to Midgard. The thought intrigued him, and even tugged a bit when his work became tiresome. Although his studies of Midgard were pretty extensive, he never indulged in any of leisure activities except for the occasional outing with Thor and The Avengers that usually included a club or a party at Stark Tower. He always lurked in the background, knowing that the others were not fully comfortable with him, but why should they be? The man of Iron approached him a couple of times, completely calm and jovial as always but he never stretched far enough for Loki to call him a friend. Loki thought of The Avengers as  _Thor's_  friends. He was the little brother that had no one so Thor had to take him under his wing. While he wish he could say he wasn't grateful, the truth of the matter was that he is.

_Next time you're back on Earth, I should take you to one of those photo booths on the boardwalk._

_…You'll see when you come back. We totally need a movie marathon._

Her remarks threw him; she actually wanted to associate with him. Not in the company of Thor, but  _him_. The feeling was strange, and he knew he was playing at his own emotions because he enjoyed being  _wanted_.

So on impulse, he transported himself to Midgard, unaware of the time and made his way to her apartment, taking it upon himself to rest on her bed. He assumed she had work today and would not be back for hours, so he decided to re-read her letter.

"I'm ready!" Darcy stepped from the bathroom in jeans and a maroon blouse and danced over to the kitchen area where she retrieved a blue mountain dew from the refrigerator. "I'm exhausted, so I need some caffeine to wake me up. Want some?"

"I'm fine." He swung his legs from the bed and onto the floor, internally grimacing as she chugged the strange liquid down her throat.

"You should really change; amusement parks can be nasty places. One time I got this random goop on my shorts and it never came out so I had to throw them away. I'm sure you could probably make a new one out of thin air, but you stick out like a sore thumb anyway."

Loki looked around for a magazine with a man on the cover in the myriad that were strewn across Darcy's coffee table.

"How is this?" He snapped his fingers and instead of the suit, he was clothed in black jeans with a simple white V neck shirt and a leather jacket.

Darcy pursed her lips and nodded her head in approval. "Perfect. Let's go catch the subway."

* * *

"I was thinking we could start with the amusement park first and then finish the night with the boardwalk. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Whatever you think is best. I have to admit I haven't joined in any Midgardian festivities recently so this is strange to me."

Darcy grinned as she tugged on Loki's sleeve to the ticket counter. "Well buddy, you're in for a treat. We're going to have cotton candy, corn dogs, kettle corn, and all the junk food possible so Asgardian food won't even compare. And then we'll ride the rollercoasters till we puke."

Loki resisted the urge to snort. "I doubt anything will be better, but we shall see. Do Midgardians really eat dogs with corn?"

"Nooo," Darcy handed the ticket man money and grabbed a map as she stepped into the park. "It's corn bread wrapped around a hot dog on a stick."

"That sounds repulsive. A hot dog isn't made of canines?"

Darcy opened her mouth to retort, but she laughed sheepishly. "I really don't know what hot dogs are made of and I really don't want to find out. Now c'mon, let's get on line for the coaster."

* * *

"Oh my god. Oh my god. SWEET JESUS MARY AND JOSEEEEEEEPH!" Darcy's scream filled his ears as they descended down a hill at top speed. Loki sat unaffected as people screamed. They were on a wooden coaster, so the tracks clicked annoyingly with each maneuver. Darcy said that it made it more fun, but he didn't see the appeal other than their voices being distorted every time they talked.

They slowed down, preparing to come to a stop as many of the passengers started to fix their hair. Darcy breathed heavy in excitement as she leaped from the cart. "What did you think?"

"Boring," He replied. "Once you travel by Bifrost, everything seems much calmer." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fair enough. But I bet you'll like bumper cars."

"I do not see how this is appealing. You're supposed to  _hit_  each other? How is this promoting good driving since that is main means of transportation here?"

"Oh shush, it's fun hitting people. You'll see." They climbed into separate cars and the bell sounded. Darcy hit her gas pedal furiously and landed straight into the back of Loki's car, and he made a sound of annoyance. He was trying to figure out how the controls worked, but quickly got the hang of it. Darcy made her way to other victims while he sped around, trying to catch her.

"Gotcha!" He turned his head to see Darcy, already speeding away. Loki scoffed in frustration. How was he supposed to catch up if all the cars went at the same speed? There had to be a way. He looked up at the device connecting the car to the ceiling and got a brilliant idea.

"You'll pay for that, mortal." He ignited the metal with more spark, and sure enough, the car sped twice as fast and he made a beeline for her car. Darcy, unaware, yelped in surprise as she saw Loki grin in satisfaction. That wasn't enough for him, though. After successfully jutting Darcy into a corner, he began to go around hitting  _everyone_  going faster and faster each time. He laughed in amusement, but his smile faded as soon as the car shut down. He hit the gas pedal again, and snarled in frustration, but nothing moved.

"Easy there, Loki." He looked up to see Darcy giggling and the other members of their game leaving.

"He must have had a better car, bud. We'll get it next time," He heard one adult say as they ushered their child out the door.

Unbuckling himself, Darcy bounced on the balls of her feet as she chided, "I  _knew_  you would like bumper cars." A couple of kids ran towards his car, claiming they would definitely win.

"I used magic to make it go faster. It's unfair that they all go at the same speed because we wouldn't have caught up to each other."

"So you admit I was winning." She had a Cheshire cat grin on her face as she stood on line for some confection.

"No. Given the schematics of the game, it is unfair and therefore a winner cannot be judged."

"Uh huh. Pink or blue?"

Loki blinked at her in confusion. "I prefer neither color, you should know that. In case you haven't noticed, the colors green and—"

"Cotton candy, you dope." She pointed to cloud like substances hanging from the booth and currently swirling inside a vat.

"Blue," He said quickly, not wanting to be seen holding anything pink. Darcy paid for both of them and she sported a combination of the two as she took a large bite with a satisfactory _mmm_.

He looked at the cotton warily, not wanting to delve into it like an animal, but Darcy insisted that it was the only way to eat it. She licked hers until droplets of red formed on the sides. He opened his mouth and took a bite, reveling in the sweet substance for a moment. It then quickly turned to disgust as he realized it wasn't just sweet. It was  _sickeningly_ sweet.

 _Snap._  A camera was in Darcy's hand when he looked up. "Let it be known that the Prince of Asgard feasts on cotton candy!" Rolling his eyes, he didn't bother to take the camera away from her and attempt to delete it. Let her be amused. Just as long as she didn't post it on the Facebook.

"It is much too sweet for my taste."

"That's because it's made by unicorns and everything happy."

They discarded their sticks and Darcy suggested their next destination, the swings.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those for small Midgardian children?"

Darcy threw a look at him. "These are different," She pointed upwards to a spinning contraption with metal wires hanging from the sides. "Those are the swings. And they're my favorite ride." Once again, he found himself being tugged at, wondering how he became so malleable to her whims. Strangely enough, he didn't mind.

* * *

Darcy bounded for a two-person chair since they were both fairly skinny. Buzzed with mountain dew and cotton candy, she strapped herself in and patted to her side, making sure Loki knew they were supposed to sit together. She had to admit, it was pretty funny seeing a Norse God in an amusement park and being confounded by something as silly as cotton candy. She hoped he was having a good time; he always looked peeved whenever she glanced at him, save for the bumper cars. He came on such short notice, so she jumped right on ahead when he said he wanted to go to the boardwalk.

"The swings were always my favorite because I would close my eyes and pretend to fly. I wanted to be a fairy so bad as a kid."

"Trust me, they aren't as serene as they appear to be. Quite annoying, actually." The swings began to take off from the ground, making Darcy bubble with excitement as a full smile spread across her face. It wasn't too often she smiled for real; she smiled when she got the last cookie at Starbucks. She smiled when Jane let her off from work early. But a real genuine smile only because she felt pure bliss? Rarely. Now that she thought about it, she always smiled when she got another letter from Loki. Sneaking a glance at him, he stared off into the distance as if he were watching a commercial.

"Are you bored?" She asked quietly, holding onto the chain of the swing with her right hand. He turned to face her, surprise etched on his face.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"It's just…I dunno. You seem like you are. I know this isn't amazing or fun by your standards, I don't know what I was thinking when I suggested we come here."

"I think I'm the one who wanted to visit this  _photo booth_  you spoke of." He rested his hand on her shoulder, making her shudder. "I apologize if I gave you the impression that I am ungrateful. I'm not used to such relaxed situations; I suppose I'm just drinking it all in. It really is a pleasure to be with you." And he looked at her with such sincerity in his green eyes again, so all she could do was nod. He released his hand and gave a small smile.

"I've always wanted to touch a cloud." She extended her hands into the air as if she could catch one. "You told me that the clouds in Asgard aren't all white. How come?"

"It has more to do with the pigmentation of the sky than the actual clouds. It gives the illusion of different shades. The light hits the clouds at certain angles so it refracts colors such as orange and puce." Darcy burst into a fit of giggles.

"What?"

"You said the word  _puce_. Who does that?" And she exploded into laughter again. Loki then waved his arms so a cloud appeared in front of her and landed straight in her face. She didn't feel anything, but she stopped laughing in shock and she looked at him, open mouthed.

"You said you wanted to touch a cloud," He replied nonchalantly, pleased at making her speechless.

The swing lowered itself onto the ground, so they unbuckled and Darcy's stomach started to growl. "I guess my tummy wants some real food now. Boardwalk?"

* * *

"Ugh, these pictures of me are awful." She ripped off the last two photos of the set that they printed from the booth. She stuffed it into her purse and snapped it shut.

"Do you want the others?" Loki looked at the other three, unsure what to make of them. Darcy had gotten hold of the pen to change the background and put on stickers. The first was a normal picture with her going cross-eyed and him looking blankly at the camera. The second had a snowy background. She drew in his helmet (badly) with the pen, making him look absolutely ridiculous and she gave herself reindeer horns 'to match' she said. He wasn't amused. The third was some variation on Alice in Wonderland with him as the Mad Hatter and her as Alice. The last two were of her screaming because he illusioned some snakes into the booth. In those pictures, he had a satisfied grin on his face and was his personal favorites.

"Nah, you keep them. Think of it as a souvenir from Earth." He carefully placed them into his pocket. It was nighttime and the boardwalk was aglow from various rides and strings of lights were connected to each lamppost. It was cooler, but pleasant with the ocean wind blowing.

Darcy yawned as they walked in a comfortable silence with no destination in mind. She suggested that when it was warmer, they should go to the beach with Thor and Jane. Thor got a kick out of making sandcastles and apparently made one resembling the palace in Asgard impressing Darcy, Jane, and the rest of SHIELD since Jane posted it on Facebook.

"Do you wish to go back home? I can tell you're tired."

"I should probably go back soon, but first we have to the ride the Ferris wheel." She pointed to the largest structure in the park. "The view is amazing from up there, especially at night."

* * *

"Can I ask what you're doing for Fury?"

Loki shifted to a more comfortable position and leaned against the gondola. Darcy was on the opposite end facing the door. The view was extremely nice—Coney Island looked remarkably small and the lights looked like stars as if they were above the sky itself.

"No, I'm sorry. Only he and a few others know about it. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, though."

Darcy pouted. "Does Thor know?"

"Yes," He replied tersely and broached a different topic. "How is work for you?"

"Eh," She shrugged. "Nothing different than what I've written to you. I just…I feel so  _useless_  sometimes and I wonder if I should be trying to do something else. I'm a political science major, but I have the job of a secretary. I can't stay that way forever."

"Why not? You have the security of SHIELD and it is enough to live comfortably."

"Well…Because," She said hurriedly. "I want to accomplish something in my life other than making several cups of coffee in less than 5 minutes. Jane is on the brink of some scientific discovery, Thor is saving lives, Erik is a genius, and you're off in Asgard doing something that's probably mind blowing," She smiled a bit ruefully. _"_ And I'm just…Darcy. The girl who wanted an internship for six college credits and ended up tasing the God of Thunder."

His lips quirked at her mentioning of tasing Thor, a sight he would have loved to see. He moved closer to her in a swift motion, cupping her cheek in his hand, surprising himself at the intimate show of affection, but he could tell that she needed some comfort. She stared up at him, looking embarrassed.

"Darcy, never doubt your importance." To what, he wasn't quite sure, but he went with it. "You bring happiness to people on a daily basis. I'm sure Miss Foster appreciates your coffee and the work you do for her, and Mr. Selvig enjoys your company. I think he likes looking after you." He removed his hand a pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have a whole life ahead of you; I'm sure you'll do great things. Keep in mind that they're older than you-I'm eons older. I properly mastered magic after a century, I believe. You're not mastering magic, but you're still finding yourself."

He paused, taking in her expression as it turned thoughtful. She wrapped her arms around him before he could say anything else, and she rested her chin on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Thank you," She whispered and he slowly wrapped his arms around her too.

Loki wasn't used to hugging people, his mother occasionally did, but he shied away more often. And Thor and his father weren't huggers; Thor preferred to hit on him on the back.

Breathing in her scent, he noticed that it was a mixture of Midgardian perfume and something that was her own. He was suddenly aware of his lanky frame against her body, causing a sudden heat rise to his ears.  _I mustn't think that way_ , he told himself. Too much was at stake since his role in the world would become vital as the years went on. If she somehow got more tangled in it than she already was, he wouldn't know what to do.

She released him, thankfully, and he noticed even in the dim light that she was blushing.

"S-sorry. That was really sudden of me. It's just no one has ever said anything to me like that." She poked his chest. "I like this jacket, by the way. You should look into different clothes than just suits."

"I'll try my best."

Looking to the side, Darcy propped her head the hand that leaned against the gondola. "You know how you said you're eons older than me?"

He nodded, unsure where she was going.

"So when's your birthday?"

Loki opened his mouth, about to say that there were no such things as birthdays in Asgard and that everyone simply existed. Yes, there were births, but parents knew that it would be forgotten in time so no one ever bothered keeping track. Instead he simply replied, "I don't know."

Darcy turned to face him, looking playful. "Then…Can this be like your birthday? It won't be about age, I guess I should say more like an anniversary, but that sounds weird to me because couples do that kind of stuff. It'll be like a celebration of your time on Earth. Your first official day was two years ago. It'll be a Loki-versary!" She laughed, realizing how stupid that sounded. "Wow, that was dumb. We don't have to call it that, but I think you get my point."

Loki looked at her, confused, but seemingly happy since his mouth formed into a soft smile. "I think I'd like that. Though…mind you, I have been to Midgard before, but I have never been consistent until recently."

Darcy grinned and the Ferris wheel started to descend back down. "Awesome. Happy 2nd Loki-versary!" She shouted, making some people look at their gondola. He rolled his eyes, but the smile he had on before had not left his face.


	4. Chapter Three

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2015_

When people say they're numb because of the amount of emotional pain they're going through, they clearly haven't felt enough emotions. At least that's what Darcy thought when she received the call that her mother had passed away early this morning.

Darcy had gotten into the habit of keeping her cell phone on at night (Just for calls, not texts) just in case anyone needed to contact her in the event of an emergency. The closest thing she had gotten to one was when her best friend's dog was hit by a car after managing to escape out of his fenced enclosure and getting hit by a drunk driver. She let her friend vent and felt sorry for her because she loved the little fur-ball too. But that was it.

"Darcy…Your mother…She had a heart attack. Your dad tried to call the ambulance, but it was too late…I'm so sorry." Her aunt had given her the call since her dad had locked himself away in his room after it happened. Choking up, Darcy managed to get out a "Tell Dad I'll be there as fast as I can," and she clicked it off, throwing the phone across the room, thankfully landing on the carpeted floor of her bedroom.

She let herself cry for a good two hours into her pillow, until she realized she needed to get on the closest flight to Santa Fe, so she dialed SHIELD and gave them a brief summary that her mother passed away and she'll be back before the end of the month. They gave her the okay as she quickly threw in black clothing, pajamas, a couple of day outfits, and sanitary necessities and she hailed a taxi in record time to get her to JFK airport.

Now she was on the plane, ready to take off, puffy eyed and quietly crying with her hoodie drawn up. She wasn't numb—her mind was screaming, playing back every moment Darcy had with her mom and all the things she regretted. The last time she saw her was last month for an Easter get together. The Lewis' were never the ones to be religious, but it was an excuse for family time, and Darcy realized after all her time in SHIELD that she really missed being  _normal._  No mind boggling science, no magic, nothing. It all faded quickly when she had to return, but by then she was ready to go back.

When her mother asked her how work was, she only replied that it was going well, unable to reveal much. Her mother was so damned  _happy_  that she was doing something remarkable with her life working as an assistant for a  _scientist,_  so Darcy didn't have the heart to tell her that she was just a glorified secretary in a super-secret organization. Not that she could, but still.

A stewardess walked past, and told her to buckle up. Wordlessly, Darcy poked around for her seatbelt and clasped it on, still hiding in her sweatshirt. She regretted not telling Jane personally that she would be gone for the next couple of weeks, but she knew she'd understand after Jane left her a heartfelt voicemail and said she'll be here if Darcy needed to talk at all, and Thor offered his condolences. Darcy replied with a "Thank you" in a text and stuffed the phone back into her pocket before having to shut it off.

Part of her wished she called up Loki this morning—She was strong and independent, but it was one of those moments where you just wanted to be held and sob and get your friend's shirt filled with snot. And Loki could always magic another, so he wouldn't mind. But, she didn't feel like being a blubbery mess in front of him and she didn't even know if he was in the city or at Asgard.

Loki returned after his year of absence. A month after their day in Coney Island, he told her that he would be spending his time between Asgard and here, working for SHIELD. She didn't press for what he was doing exactly, but she often saw him conferencing in the weapons department and occasionally Jane's to gather information. Their friendship grew, much to everyone's surprise (and to Fury's discomfort) and they often went out together along with Jane and Thor when they needed to get away from work and they had weekly movie nights, just the two of them.

She had taken it upon herself to make sure he got his daily dose of Midgardian culture so now their friendly banter consisted of movie quotes, and she even managed to get a laugh out of him when she said that the reason why Thor's muscles are so big is because they're filled with secrets. (He agreed that Mean Girls is an awful movie, but awful to the point of funny)

Jane initially prodded her about having a crush on him, but Darcy put her foot down and said that they were just  _friends_  and Loki couldn't be bothered with a girlfriend anyway. Jane merely rolled her eyes and dropped it after noticing how uncomfortable it made Darcy.

Honestly, Darcy was okay with them just being friends. They didn't have a messy relationship and they could hang out without it being awkward, unlike Jane and Thor who often had their tongues down each other's throat. (Darcy said they should just get married already, but Jane just blushed and said that they weren't ready for that yet) And, she didn't know how Loki would be as a boyfriend anyway. (Was boyfriend even the right word?) He was complicated—she knew that, and they had a few discussions about his adoption (he used the word stolen), but he always stopped before he was able to go into anything deep, and she respected his boundaries. He knew about Darcy's quiet and uneventful childhood, and she always appreciated that he listened intently even though it was extremely boring compared to his.

He did occasionally make her heart flutter; like on her birthday, he gave her the boxed set of The Lord of the Rings (extended edition of course) along with some tulips that she put on her office desk. Jane had taken her out to dinner and a club, and invited some SHIELD agents that she had made friends with over the past 3 years. It had been fun, especially since she got to see Loki embarrassed for the first time when she have may danced a little too inappropriately with him. It was her birthday, and she had a little more drinks than she was supposed to, but she wasn't drunk-just happy. Aside from that, she always managed to push her feelings aside and resume their routine of eating junk food and cracking jokes.

The plane took off, and Darcy took out a piece of gum to keep her ears from popping. The fruity taste combined oddly with the salt in her mouth from crying, but she was planning on spitting it out afterwards anyway. After ten minutes into the air, the plane beeped, signaling that they could remove their seatbelts now. Darcy did, and while reaching down to get her iPod from her bag, she jumped and let out a gasp noticing Loki sitting next to her with a soft expression.

"I could have brought you to New Mexico in a few seconds."

He looked hurt, almost. Darcy drew back her hood, letting him take in her tear strained face and moved over to rest her head on his shoulder. He brought his arm over her and held her close, as a few more tears fell down her face. He conjured a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes, but she took it and started to blow her nose into it. He quickly magicked it away and gave her another and after the second time, she said softly, "I didn't feel like explaining to my dad why it only took me an hour to get to New Mexico. But thanks." And she buried her face in his shoulder again, even though it was a bit uncomfortable. He was wearing a dark green button down, made out of some sort of silk texture.

"Should you be here?" She asked, not bothering to look up.

"I think SHIELD can survive without me for a day."

It was quiet between them, and Darcy's ears hummed with the sound of turbulence and quiet chatter between the people on the plane. She stopped crying and she was still attached to him, feeling rather pathetic, but he continued to rub her back consolingly and occasionally rested his hand on her neck to cradle her head.

Breaking the silence, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He looked to her, green eyes filled with understanding.

"You shouldn't be sorry. Jane told me after she was notified by SHIELD and looked rather worried, so I decided to see you."

Biting her lip, "My mom would've loved to meet you."

Not knowing how to respond, he said carefully, "I would have liked to meet her too." Darcy's eyes started to fall.

"I didn't get much sleep last night because of…Well, you know."

He shifted his position so that she could be more horizontal. "Sleep, then. I'll be here when you wake up."

"You don't have to do that."

Smoothing down her hair again, he kissed her on the head and said softly, "Just sleep, Darcy."

* * *

"Darcy, the plane is landing soon." Loki gently shook her awake and Darcy detached herself from him and rubbed her eyes, realizing how swollen they were. Sitting upright, she put her seatbelt on and fingered through her hair in an attempt to make it look more presentable.

"Do you want me to stay?" Loki asked, putting his own seatbelt on, and glanced at her warily.

She really wanted him too, she realized with a lurch in her heart. It was actually really nice having a friend with her, but she noted that he wasn't just her friend. He was a god, a prince of Asgard, and an agent of SHIELD. Looking him over, he didn't seem like that; just another gorgeous man, but she sighed and shook her head.

"I really do, believe me. It's just…I don't want my family to get the wrong idea or recognize you."

He then changed himself into a blonde, presumably German, with blue eyes and a bit of an accent. "What about this?"

It was tempting, really. She gave a small smile and hugged him awkwardly in her seat. "Thanks. I really…You really are an amazing friend. My best friend in fact, but I think I need to do this on my own. And dad will probably want to talk to me a lot. Can you come to the funeral though?"

"Of course. You can call me at any time." And with that, he kissed her on the forehead and disappeared, making Darcy jump. The intercom dinged, and the captain gave a brief message that they were landing in Santa Fe soon and that the weather was rainy.

* * *

"Dad," she choked out, running towards him dropping her luggage in the process, and threw her arms around him.

"Hey Darce." He kissed her cheek and took a bag as they head towards the car. His eyes were red and puffy, much like Darcy's. She had his eyes, but she inherited her mother's semi curly chocolate hair. He walked with a little limp, a side effect of osteoporosis, and his head was entirely gray peppered with some hints of black. He wasn't balding yet, just a bit at the crown of his head.

After loading her bags, she sat next to him as they drove in silence towards their home. Looking out the window, Darcy remembered how she used to loathe New Mexico because it rarely got snow. After experiencing some snow storms in New York, she found that she didn't mind the snowless environment.

"How's work?" Her father asked, attempting to create conversation. They still haven't addressed her mother, but Darcy replied that it was good and their findings were looking up. She couldn't say more than that, and Darcy didn't want to, anyway.

They reached home; a small three person cottage on the outskirt of the city, that was painted a deep orange. Her aunt opened up the door and waved at her and Darcy halfheartedly waved back and got her luggage while her dad took in some groceries he bought before picking her up.

Her aunt pulled her in for an embrace. "She was so proud of you, Darcy. She really was." Her throat started to tighten so Darcy let go and nodded as she brought her belongings into her room while her aunt followed her in and shut the door.

"How is he?" Darcy asked, mindlessly folding clothes into her old draws.

"Your uncle and I have been taking care of funeral arrangements since she passed. He wants nothing to do with it." Darcy nodded, understanding. Her Aunt April was always close to her dad; she was only a year older than him.

"I think you should talk to him," Her aunt rested a hand on her shoulder, causing Darcy to look. Gulping down another cry that threatened to come out, Darcy only nodded again. Her aunt looked around and left, knowing that there was little to say and shut the door behind her.

She stopped folding her clothes and sat on her old bed, looking at the ceiling. Pictures of her family and old friends were pinned up at various places in the room. Her eyes glanced over to one of her and her best friend, Beth who had gotten married this year. They were fourteen in that picture, still young and awkward with braces. How had times changed.

Sleep tugged at her again, since she only slept for about three hours and now with the time difference, she was even more screwed up. She popped a Motrin, hoping to relieve her headache. Someone knocked at the door, and she told them to come in a tired voice.

Her dad stepped in and wordlessly sat on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Darcy remained on her bed, but sat up to look up.

"She was so perfect, Darce." He said in a choked sob and tears began to form in the corners of Darcy's eyes. She didn't make a move to comfort him, though.

"I know, Dad. She was the best." Being an only child gave her a lot of attention, but Darcy's mother absolutely showered her in it. In her eyes, she could do no wrong and it was usually up to her dad to do the disciplining. "She…She loved both of us a lot."

Her dad twisted the gold wedding band around his finger, looking at it absently. "Did you know she wanted to visit you in New York after you left? She really missed you. And we were planning on, but her health got bad. After things started looking up, I started looking into flights. She's only been to the Big Apple once. I wanted to take her to see a Broadway show—she always loved theatre even though I never cared for it." He paused, still playing with his wedding band. "Marrying her was the greatest decision I ever made. She was a light, you know. A light that never went out, and when she had you, I had two lights in my life."

Darcy thought back to the story of how her parents met. Her father was in law school at the time, while her mother was just out of college, bounding with energy and on the road to being a full time nurse. They met at a coffee shop where her dad had slipped on a stray ice cube and embarrassingly broke his elbow and her mother, being the kind person she is, immediately helped him and even went to the hospital with him. From there, they hit it off and her dad dropped out of law school and became a teacher.

"She made me so much better and more. Without her I wouldn't have done what  _I_ really wanted. Not my parents, but me. Isn't that something? I was in denial for such a long time, but your mother…Well, she just went up and kissed me one day, the damn woman. And then I was a goner." He smiled, lost in thought and Darcy moved to hug him tightly.

"It'll be okay, dad. She was amazing…I couldn't have asked for a mother."

"She  _is_  amazing, Darcy." Her dad stood up and made way for the door, giving her a sad smile. "I love her, and I always will. There's no past tense with love."

* * *

_Loki? I know it's like midnight over there, but I could use a friend right now. I know you said to call, but I'm kinda crying right now and I don't want to get my phone all wet. You don't have to come now if you're tired or whatever, though._

Darcy pressed send on her phone and the text shot into cyberspace. She curled up into her blankets, face on the pillow, as more tears started to fall. Her family had just finished discussing the funeral arrangements and they picked out where she was to be buried. Death hung on her mind like a fever she couldn't sweat out, and with each passing hour of trying to get sleep, her thoughts wouldn't shut up until she finally resolved to text Loki.

Her phone beeped with the words  _Be right there_ and a popping resounded in her room, with Loki standing in the center. Darcy kicked the covers away and hugged him.

"Everyone's asleep now. Is there a way you could…?"

"Already done. Sorry for startling you, the popping must have been the silencing spell." He moved her back onto the bed and they both sat down with one arm draped across her shoulder protectively.

"How are things?" He asked with a voice barely above a whisper even though it wasn't necessary.

"I don't know. Sometimes I can shut it out of my mind, but it all comes back to me one way or another. It's stupid of me to try and shut it out anyway. But I started thinking: What am I leaving behind? My mom was an amazing person; she was such a kind and wonderful nurse and still helped people even after she retired. And what am I doing? Helping out with an experiment that might not even work and know shit about, so I'm going around pretending like I know things when I don't!" Her voice rose with every sentence and she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. Loki's rows knit in concern.

"Darcy, I think you're overthinking everything. It's understandable since you're mother just passed away, but you shouldn't be so concerned with leaving something behind. Some people are so intent on leaving their mark on the world that they don't care if that mark is a scar." [1] Like him, he thought ruefully.

She stared wide eyed at him that was laced with a bit of annoyance, but he continued. "If you're unhappy with your current situation, why not change it? I mean not of your mother's passing, but with your job. You've said several times that you're unsatisfied. It's not hard to change. And if it counts for anything," He trailed a finger down her cheek, wiping away a tear. "You always manage to leave an impression on people. Whether good or bad," he added with a smirk.

"I just…I don't want to just  _leave_  one day without doing anything. I know it sounds selfish, but I want people to remember me for a while when I go. When we were going over the list for my mom's wake…She knew a lot of people. People she helped out in the hospital that ended up recovering and keeping in touch, and dozens of others. What do I have?"

"Me, Jane, Thor…" He said quietly, but with confidence. "And all your family members. And even though they may not show it, The Avengers appreciate you too. If anything happened to you, I bet Nicholas Fury would shed some tears, but less than everyone else." Darcy rolled her eyes, but he wasn't done. "But that's only because he only has one eye."

Darcy cracked a grin and he smiled. "Your mother lived a full life, Darcy. You're not nearly there yet. And I would gladly destroy anything that would attempt to give you an untimely death."

"You're too sweet," Darcy muttered, resting her head on his shoulder and taking his hand in hers.

"I'm the god of mischief and lies; I'm not  _sweet._ If anything, I think I would be sour."

She nudged him in the ribs. "That was lame. You're sweet, admit it."

Chuckling, he looked at the time. "I think you need to go to sleep, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." Nodding, Darcy let go of his hand and inserted herself between the mattress and blanket. Loki pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Sleep well."

"Loki?" Her voice was vulnerable. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to…I was just wondering." Half her head peeked out of the covers so only her eyes could be seen.

"What is it?"

"Have you…Has someone close to you ever died? Like family? You're a god, so I was wondering if you know what it's like to lose someone." Loki blinked, taking in the weight of her question.

"I… I suppose I do not know what the death of a loved one feels like. However," he swallowed. "I've felt metaphorical death." Darcy nodded, understanding that his estrangement from Odin when he first came to Earth felt like he lost he a parent. "Warriors in Asgard go to Valhalla when they die, so it's not death in the sense that you would use."

"I'm sorry, Loki."

Loki blinked back in confusion. "Whatever for?"

Darcy turned on her side so she could face him, but the blanket still covered most of her face. "Me. I'll go one day. I don't want to be your first."

Loki went to her side in an instant with an intensity he didn't have before. He gently brushed a hand against her hair. "You have been certainly thinking a lot tonight. Goodnight, Darcy." He walked back to the center of her room, preparing to teleport.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Or text." Darcy said and Loki disappeared in an instant, leaving the room in a deafening silence.

* * *

Loki went back to his apartment and collapsed onto his bed. Replaying Darcy's words, he realized that he had never actually had someone close to him die. Laufey's death meant nothing to him since he was only his father in a biologically sense and he had no regrets killing him in cold blood. He trusted few, so the only people he ever considered close to him were his mother, Thor, and his father. And they were obviously very much alive, and death was a foreign concept to them. He's seen warriors die in battle, but they were quickly led back to Valhalla or some other area in Asgard. They didn't live necessarily, but they were alive. [2]

He now had Darcy to add on to that list and by extension from Thor, Jane. The subject of Jane's mortality had come up quite a few times within the court, with Thor pressuring his father to grant her Idunn's apples to make her immortal, but Odin was firm and said that it wasn't the time. Thor, of course, was outraged, but let it go because Jane is still young.

It was because of that reason why they haven't gotten married yet. He thought back to his conversation with Thor, on how he called Thor an imbecile for being so tied to a mortal. And now, here he was, dangerously attached to Darcy. He now understood Darcy's reasoning behind saying sorry, because she would inevitably cause him pain, but he could only think that if it ever came to that, it would have all been worth it. He wanted to tell her that, but the words couldn't come. She is so painfully mortal, and saying it out loud would only make that truth clearer to them both.

Their relationship is strange—he'll be the first to admit it. After that day in Coney Island, something awoke within him. He enjoyed (perhaps too much) making her happy. Letters could only go so far in terms of friendship building and nothing quite matched the physical times they spent together. So when he was reassigned to Midgard, he didn't blink an eyelash to back Asgard.

He was eating his own words, and Thor made sure he knew that every time they went out together.

_"You enjoy Midgard, do you not, brother?" Loki made an annoyed noise and looked into the window of a shop they had passed. Darcy's birthday was coming up, and he wanted to get her something nice, so he dragged Thor out since he was more familiar with Midgardian shopping._

_"I cannot say that I dislike it."_

_Thor clapped him on the back like he usually did when he thought Loki was being funny. "What are her favorite movies? You'll find any movie you could possibly conceive in this store."_

_"She likes a lot of movies." And he thought back to their movie nights. Darcy insisted that he had to see some bad movies because they were so bad that they were good. Her logic was confusing, but he soon understood what she meant after a couple. Their nights were comforting; it was usually on a Friday or Saturday when they were both off from work. They sat on her large leather couch eating popcorn or some other junk food and she sometimes liked to tuck her feet under his legs when she got cold and the blanket wasn't good enough._

_Some nights she fell asleep because she was so tired, and he felt oddly guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, so they would wake up together on the couch and then Darcy would race off to make pancakes for the both of them._

He wasn't oblivious to his own feelings that were not always platonic like when she danced in front of him on her birthday party. She was wearing a rather low-cut red dress that showed every curve and had no hint of modesty. She moved much too close to him (they had been close before, i.e. hugging, but she was either in business attire or a sweatshirt) but this was too much for him to handle, so he stood there blushing, as she pretended to thrust and sway her hips. Jane and Thor were laughing on the sidelines, as he attempted to dance, but instead he ended up doing a weird combination of jumping in place and moving his arms in a robotic fashion. The things he did for Darcy, he mentally sighed. However, he didn't find himself regretting any bit of it.

Part of him screamed out that he should just (as the Midgardian phrase would go) get together with her. In movies, like in  _The Notebook_ , that Darcy made him watch (She ended up sobbing even though she had already seen it, and Loki was confused as to why. They were happy in the end and that was the point, wasn't it?) Men would sweep their beloved off their feet and make sappy declarations of love and kiss and live happily ever after. Loki knew that was impossible, and he didn't love Darcy. At least, not like that. Friends. Best friends, even. But love was a delicate word that Thor was quick to say and the only female Loki had ever said that to was his mother. It was much too complicated, and being involved with the God of Mischief was currently even more complicated than he liked to lead on.

Suddenly, Loki became painfully aware of how different their perceptions of time were. She probably wouldn't live past 100, and even if she did, it wouldn't be for that long. A century to him was like a month, while to her, it was a life time. A minute was a second and a year was nothing more than a blink of the eye.

He swallowed, knowing that he was on a dangerous path. To cut off their relationship was impossible for both him and her; they were on a rollercoaster that was only going up [3] but they would have to reach the top of the hill eventually. And it will plummet, until a sudden, but expected stop and the screams still fresh in your throat.

With a flick of his hand, the lights turned off and he magicked himself into pajamas. He sighed and rubbed his hand against his forehead. Maybe he should be like Thor and live more in the present, but he knew that Jane's mortality was very slowly eating away at Thor too. When she reached thirty, he supposed it would become more of a problem, but Thor was still content with the golden retriever smile he usually had on. With one last look at the clock, he slipped into subconscious with Darcy's words still echoing in his mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some side notes:
> 
> [1]: "Some people are so intent on leaving their mark on the world that they don't care if that mark is a scar." A fabulous line from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
> 
> [2]: I did some research on Norse mythology and Valhalla is the place where their dead go until they are called upon for Ragnarok. There is another part of Asgard where another section of the dead go to called Fólkvangr. Idunn's apples are another Norse myth and they grant immortality.
> 
> [3]: A rollercoaster going up. Another reference to The Fault in Our Stars.
> 
> As you can see, I made a couple references to The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. It left quite an emotional impact on me, and when I was thinking over this chapter, his quotes kept coming to mind, so I inserted two. I highly recommend it, so give it a read! You'll be glad you did.
> 
> I posted the Coney Island outtakes, and you'll find it under the Forever and A Day Series linked in my profile :)


	5. Chapter Four

_Loki slid his card, balancing a French Vanilla Frappuccino in one hand and a chocolate crepe in the other. He made his way to Darcy's cubicle where she was hard at work, scribbling notes into the new laptop she received not too long ago. A hologram lit up and she poked at a machine part with her finger, carefully adding some annotations and then swiped it away for another window._

_"I come with gifts," Loki said, sliding the food in front of her. Darcy looked up in elation and immediately swiped the screen again to close it. Taking a bit of the crepe and a sip of the Frappuccino, she said between bites, "Thank you so much." He often brought her snacks from nearby bakeries as a change from the office food that SHIELD usually carried._

_He took in the dark circles around her eyes and her frequent yawning and inwardly sighed. She had gotten herself admitted to the hospital this past January due to pneumonia, brought on from overworking herself and not taking a day off to treat her cough. Said cough had turned into bronchitis and then to full-fledged pneumonia where Jane had to call an ambulance to rush her to the nearest hospital._

_So every day while she was in the hospital, he took it upon himself to bring her food; not the pathetic excuse for nourishment that the hospital tried to provide._

_"Oh wow, you really didn't have to do this. I had such a craving though." Darcy took a piece of sushi and dramatically swallowed it._

_"How are you feeling?" He gazed at her hospital clothes worryingly. Her hair was drawn back into a pony tail and an IV was strapped to her arm._

_"Great. Especially since I have this." Another bite. "You're fantastic, you know. If you ever get sick, I'll have to shower you with candy or something."_

_Loki just shrugged and pulled out an iced tea to down the sushi with._

* * *

_"When was the last time you had a vacation, Darcy?" Darcy looked up from her crepe, pursing her lips._

_"Well, I was in Florida last month." After her mother's death, her dad moved to Florida since a lot of family lived down there. It was easier for her since it was a lot closer than New Mexico, but it really sapped her funds. Plane tickets weren't cheap, but the trips were worth it._

_"I mean a vacation where you relaxed."_

_"Uh…" Darcy paused. She had gone to California briefly after her senior year of college, but that was a long time ago. She had a lot of day trips since coming to New York, but nothing involving leaving the state for an extended period of time._

_"Not for a while."_

_Loki had a delicious smirk on. "How do you feel about the snacks I just brought you?"_

_Darcy tilted her head in confusion. "Delicious? What else would it be?"_

_"Pack your bags, my dear. We're going to Paris."_

* * *

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2016_

Darcy huffed as they drove through the French countryside. "I can't believe you just teleported me."

Loki held the steering wheel with one hand as the wind blew through his hair. He had picked up a mint green convertible. While he could have easily brought them to the heart of Paris, he thought a nice drive in the country would be relaxing.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

She stuck out her tongue and pointed to it, making a gagging noise. "I thought I was gonna puke! And hey—I think we should establish some rules while we're on this trip."

Loki quirked an eyebrow. "Like?"

"Well, first off, separate beds. I know we're close, but I like my personal space at night. Second, no skinny dipping."

An undignified noise came out of Loki's mouth and Darcy glared. "There are a lot of nude beaches in France."

"I get it," Loki replied, making a turn onto a bridge.

"Thirdly, no chess." Loki had to roll his eyes at that one. Their movie nights escalated into board game nights with Jane and Thor, and Loki's favorite was chess. Jane was a fun opponent (he won every time, but her attempts were always interesting) while Darcy and Thor played games like Rummy Cube or Clue. Another one of Loki's favorites was Risk and he usually won, much to everyone's annoyance, so they eventually opted for something less strategy based like Spoons. Needless to say, that game got violent when Loki could discretely take a spoon with magic, and when Thor grabbed a spoon, he would often break the table. So they settled for quiet games like Monopoly when they wanted to play as a group.

"Fine. I have another rule to add, then. We listen to my music," Darcy opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "If I'm going to comply with all of your rules, I should have one of my own."

Their music tastes, while similar, varied when Darcy liked to listen to what was currently out. His ears could only take 'Call me Maybe' a few hundred times before he got sick of it and made her promise to never play it in his presence.

"Okay." She crossed her arms and put her big sunglasses on.

"Hey, hey, hey!" She hit him on the shoulder and he swerved to the side in surprise.

"What?!" He asked, shooting her a nervous look.

She pointed to the left. "A beach. Can we go?"

* * *

Maybe the beach wasn't a great idea, Loki thought when he saw Darcy step out from the changing room, sporting a black bikini that did little to hide anything. A couple men were looking at her, but he glared at them, making it clear that she was with him. He swallowed as she sat next to him under their umbrella.

She began to put lotion on and commented how beautiful the beaches are in France, and that French accents were "Yummy."

"Hey, can you get my back?" She threw him the tube and he caught it with ease and squirted some onto his palm. She slid towards him and placed herself in between his legs.

He began to rub it in, trying to not to stare, but couldn't help himself. "Isn't this a little too revealing?"

"Not really. Jane helped me pick it out before I left."  _Of course she did,_  thought Loki as he lifted up the strap to get under.

When Darcy told Jane that she would be going away with Loki for a week, Jane looked absolutely mischievous the following day she ran into Loki.

_"So…You and Darcy." Jane began, pulling a blueprint onto the projector. Loki loaded up the board they usually used for note taking._

_"What about us?"_

_She snuck in a smile that could only be described as devilish. "Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering when you were going to tell her you like her." Loki paused in what he was doing and scowled at her._

_"You've been talking to Thor."_

_"Well duh."_

_"I do not like her "like that," Jane. I don't know what Thor has said to dissuade you from that fact, but it is true."_

_"Uh huh. You guys are really perfect for each other. She's in denial and you won't make a move. Classic love story. And before you tell me anything else, I've seen the way you treat her. Going to her bedside every few hours while she was sick? Flowers on Valentine's Day to make her believe she has a secret admirer so she would have a little self-esteem boost? And don't get me started on the look on her face when you walk into a room—"_

_"Enough. You of all people should understand that relationships with Asgardians are complicated."_

_Jane had nothing to say to that_.

"Mmm, that feels good." Darcy leaned back into his bare chest as he started to massage her shoulders. Noticing her beach bag strewn across their blanket, he saw her taser sticking out.

"Why did you bring that?"

"Wha?"

He gestured towards her taser and she laughed. "You can never be too careful in a foreign country— I heard there are gypsies in Paris. Like what if one of them tries to steal something? I can whip out my taser and they'll be gypsy toast."

Loki chuckled. "I don't think anyone could steal from the God of Mischief."

" _You're_  the god," she corrected him. "I'm Darcy, Goddess of Laziness."

"You're only lazy when you want to be." Loki said, closing the cap on the sunscreen.

She turned to face him, making him uncomfortable and suddenly aware that they both lacked clothing. "I think I'm going to swim for a bit. Wanna come?"

"I'll be there soon." Darcy ran off and screamed as she entered the water, saying that it was freezing, but completely worth it and he leaned back onto the towel in relief, trying to keep his thoughts in check.

* * *

Darcy shifted her head on his stomach as she slept while he read  _A Tale of Two Cities_. After their swim, Darcy said that she was feeling sleepy and wanted to tan before they head off to Paris. He complied, more than happy to be her pillow and read for a bit. One of his hands had a lock of her hair twirled around and he absently played with it.

A ball was kicked to their area and he looked up from his reading to throw it back, but he sat up in alarm, jerking Darcy awake and her elbow landed in a sensitive area of his, making him grit his teeth.

"Throw that back, will ya?" The very old and  _very_ naked man said in French. Loki flung the ball back with magic, avoiding any eye contact by throwing his arm in front of his eyes. Darcy started to laugh, looking around.

"I guess this a nudist beach—and sorry about landing on your crotch, but it was kinda your fault."

"We're leaving," Loki said immediately and packed their things in a hurry, throwing them nonsensically into a bag.

Darcy continued to laugh, muttering an "Okay," and threw her cover-up on.

* * *

They arrived in Paris a few hours later, and Darcy was extremely tired from jet lag. It was late afternoon, about six o'clock, so she was grateful when they arrived at the swanky hotel Loki picked out.

Breathing in the Parisian air filled with cigarette smoke and hints of baked goods, she stepped into the gold plated revolving door and looked wide eyed at the hotel and marble floors.

"May I help with your bags, mizz?" A French man pushed a hotel cart in front of her.

"Uh…" Darcy began, looking for Loki who was just finishing checking in and striding towards her.

"That won't be necessary," Loki said in perfect French and the man walked away. He held up their keycards in between two fingers and smiled.

"We have a view of the Seine," he said, referring to the river that ran through Paris. Darcy smiled, and her stomach fluttered a bit, realizing that this was starting to feel like a honey moon without the gooey romance.

"Awesome." She dragged her luggage to the large elevator in the center of the lobby and Loki clicked their floor number and they rose upwards. "This is a really nice place, I feel like a princess." Her eyes were still locked in wonder, gazing at the various decorations as they ascended and got closer to the diamond chandelier at the very top of the hotel.

Darcy noticed with irony that it was usually her that dragged Loki along to let him marvel at her world, and now he looked perfectly suave as if he belonged here.

"Did you know that Paris is also called  _La Ville-Lumiere_? It means the City of Lights in English."

She couldn't help but swoon a bit every time he spoke French; it sounded strange on his tongue since she was so used to him speaking either English or some Elven language when he performed a complicated spell.

"Since when did you become such an expert in French culture?"

He grinned and tapped a finger to his head. "I do my research."

Slipping her arm into his, "Well, I'm glad I have my own tour guide." The elevator dinged, signaling they reached their destination and he pulled her along the ornate carpeted floors to an ivory door with golden outlining.

The room was just as fancy as the hotel—there were two large off yellow drapes that hung from each window placed at each side of the room and all the furniture was an ivory color made from sturdy wood. Decadent detail lined the walls in antique swirls and Darcy had to drop her bags at the door just so she could explore. It wasn't a suite, but it was large for a one person room and bathroom. The bathroom had a separate glass shower and a Jacuzzi connected to the side that was leveled on a step. Two sinks were side by side to the right of the Jacuzzi with a fabulous assortment of body goods.

After noting the bathroom, she stepped into the main area where the bed was; a king size with white silk sheets and a mountain of pillows at the headboard. Sudden realization struck her. "Hey, Loki?"

He poked his head from the side as he pulled both of their luggages beside the bed. "Yes?"

"Rule number one—separate beds, remember?"

Looking embarrassed, Loki said he would call down for a cot, but then Darcy had a pang of guilt because she knew he would let her have the huge bed all to herself. "Wait, I have an idea." She quickly drew the blanket from its neat state which made the pillows scatter everywhere. Carefully arranging the pillows into a line that divided the bed in two, she brushed her hands back and forth at her handiwork. "There. Now we won't cross the line when we sleep because we'll wake up at the bump."

"Are you sure?" Loki asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Yep." Darcy unzipped her suitcase and took out her cotton pajamas and made way for the bathroom.

* * *

It was about 4:30 am when Darcy woke up, feeling refreshed. It was still dark outside with a hint of light peeking through. Rolling onto her other side, she saw Loki, still fast asleep, looking like a child curled up, arm wrapped around a pillow. His black hair lay unruly across his face, and Darcy couldn't help but stare in quiet admiration.

Loki had become a valuable friend to her these past years; he had been her rock during the hard times, and her constant reassurance. She often wondered what she could possibly be giving back in return, but he always enjoyed her company and made time in his busy schedule to see her and drop off the occasional snacks.

He definitely threw a curve ball when he said he was taking her to Paris. It wasn't even a question; it was a statement that she had little say in. Honestly, she was a tad uncomfortable at first and confided this to Jane, but Jane said that it was perfectly normal for best friends to go on vacation with each other. That's what her and Loki are—best friends, partners in crime at SHIELD meetings (Loki had successfully programmed everyone's phone to play A Pirate's Life for Me at the same time, and needless to say, Fury was not pleased and Darcy managed to video it all), and movie night buddies. He was the only one who could sit with her through any movie. She had a really varied taste, and Jane mostly liked to watch chick flicks or science fiction so when she needed her horror movie kick, Loki was there.

She was really glad that she brought her cotton pajamas even though it was getting warmer; she wouldn't know how to react if Loki saw her in something even remotely revealing. Her bathing suit already made her feel self-conscious enough, but Jane insisted that it looked amazing on her. A gorgeous deep maroon dress was waiting in her luggage if they went out for a nice dinner, and knowing Loki, he would try to squeeze as much of that in as possible despite her protests.

It took a while, but Darcy had finally managed to knock him down a few pegs on the arrogance scale. Sure, their buildings and food probably still paled in comparison to Asgard, but he finally acknowledged that Midgardian food was pretty awesome too. And if there was one thing that Asgard didn't have was movies and TV. He liked to indulge in shows like Game of Thrones or CSI, and she even caught him looking visibly sad when a character got killed off.

Loki blinked awake, still half in a dream when he saw her staring at him with her blue eyes. She dove back under the blankets, but she could hear him snicker as he rose up and drew the curtains. It was a little past five and the sun was peeking out from the horizon, splashing it with various hues of pinks and oranges.

"Darcy, come to the balcony."

Darcy rose from the bed and followed Loki out who leaned against the bar. "Wow, it's beautiful," she breathed. She noticed that some chimneys had smoke rising from them and the fresh smell of baked goods filled her nostrils.

"I'm in the mood for a French breakfast, how about you?"

"We can go into town or eat here, if you like." He made his way back inside, so Darcy shut the balcony door behind her, but drew the curtains back so they could watch from inside.

Immediately changing into a blazer with a simple button down shirt and jeans, without batting an eyelash, Darcy wondered why he even bothered with a luggage when he clearly didn't need to pack anything.

"Town is nice, I want to feel the ambiance of the place."

"Alright." He sat on the bed, producing a tour book of Paris in his hands and waited for her to get ready.

* * *

Their day had started by taking a tour of Notre Dame, with Darcy being excited since the  _Hunchback of Notre Dame_  was one of her favorite movies. Loki had been forced to watch most of them, but he hadn't seen this one, so Darcy had to explain to him the main premise.

"Well, it's about this guy named Quasimodo who has a hunchback and Judge Frollo takes him in to be the bell ringer for Notre Dame since he's considered an outcast in society. He meets this gypsy named Esmeralda and on the Day of Fools, she makes him feel really loved until everyone realizes that his face isn't a mask. He goes through a whole journey of trying to save Esmeralda and the gypsies and she falls in love with the head of the guard—which I think is really stupid, by the way. Like, Quasimodo treated her like gold, and he saved her love interest, Phoebus. First off, what type of name is Phoebus? Second, it teaches a really bad message. It's like: be a really nice person but since you have a hunchback and you're considered ugly, you don't get the girl. But don't worry, you're friendzoned anyway so at least you can talk to her and watch her make out with her boyfriend. Oh, and don't even get me started on Frollo and his creepy lust-obsession with Esmeralda, I wasn't expecting that, but Hellfire sent chills down my spine."

Loki caught that with vague understanding. "If you dislike so many things, why does it still intrigue you?"

"Well, I really love Quasi. You  _have_ to feel bad for him; he didn't do anything wrong and he couldn't help the way he was born. He was also a really awesome bell ringer. In the movie, they made him swing from bell to bell and that helped him save Esmeralda and eventually yell 'SANCTUARAY!' at the top of Notre Dame. Not to mention he's sweet as honey."

They reached the entrance to Notre Dame, and began to feel a sinking in his stomach. He could relate to Quasi—a monster by birth, scoffed at by society, but taken under the wing of an authority figure. The only difference was that he could wear a mask. He tried several times to tell her, but each time he stopped himself because he remembered the stories that he and Thor were told as children. He saw how wives in Asgard shuddered away from him after the rumors had spread, but no one would say it to his face. While connections between the nine realms increased immensely since his Chitauri incident, Jotunheim was caught in a Civil War since Laufey left no apparent heir, so any complications with Asgard were put aside as different tribes vied for the throne.

"I can't believe this was all built by hand, can you imagine?" Darcy spun in awe, admiring the stained glass windows and gothic architecture.

"Actually, yes. Most things in Asgard are crafted from our warriors."

"Spoilsport." She hit him playfully on the shoulder with her pamphlet. "I'll have to visit one day when Jane finally gets that bridge kicking."

The sinking feeling in Loki's stomach only increased. She would definitely find out if she ever went to Asgard. Part of him knew that she would irrevocably accept it—it was just so _Darcy_ , but he wanted to put it off as long as possible, but time was dwindling as SHIELD got closer and closer to their achievement. They had already succeeded in gathering enough energy without any major fallouts, the only question was how to transport a person or even an object. A few theories were tossed around, and they were in the process of one at the moment.

"Hey, what's gotten into you? We're in one of the world's most famous cathedrals and you're staring at the altar like a dog just crapped on your lawn." A lady shot her a look for being crude, but Darcy was still looking at him with her chin pointed upward.

"I'm fine, I didn't mean to worry you." He decided to go off to the side to admire the art while she padded behind him.

* * *

Their next stop was the Arc de Triomphe, a famous arc at the entrance of Paris. The architecture was astounding with angels carved into the sides, and Darcy snapped several photos.

"We need a picture together, ask that man for us." So Loki tapped the nearest man on the shoulder and he quickly figured out that he was Italian, so he gracefully switched from English to Italian and asked for a picture.

Darcy stood against the base of the Arc and Loki wrapped an arm around her waist while they both smiled.

"Siete una bella coppia!" The man shouted after the flash, handing the camera back to Loki who smiled.

"Grazie," Loki replied, shaking the man's hand as the man returned to his wife and Darcy looked at him in confusion.

"What'd he say?"

Giving the camera back to Darcy, Loki replied hesitantly, "He said that we're a beautiful couple."

The sentence hung in the air for a bit until Darcy replied with an, "Oh."

"I didn't bother correcting him since he's a stranger—"

"It's fine," Darcy said, already pulling him back to the town square while looking down at her shoes.

* * *

They spent half of the next day walking the Du Louvre, the famous art museum in the center of Paris. It was huge, so they didn't walk through the entire thing, but they stopped at the more famous areas. Neither were huge art fanatics, but Loki insisted that they needed to visit and Darcy had no complaints since she wanted to see the Mona Lisa in person.

"That's it?" They were behind a mob of people and flashing lights. Darcy stood on her tip toes trying to get a better view, but it was behind a presumable bullet proof glass and security guards stood on each end while people speaking fifty different languages squirmed through. She was holding Loki's arm so she wouldn't lose him, but it was getting harder with the bustling crowd.

"Allow me," he hoisted her up by the waist, putting her high above the crowd so she could snap a couple pictures. Darcy yelped in surprise, but waved to the security guards who were looking at her skeptically. Loki was freakishly tall, so his height definitely helped and since he had godly super strength, he could keep this up all day.

Huh. It really was tiny, like an 8 by 10 piece of paper, and she didn't understand the all the hub bub over it, but it was the freaking  _Mona Lisa_  so she nabbed as many pictures as she could even though most were blurry or at odd angles.

"Are you done yet?" While Loki's muscles didn't hurt at all, Darcy's butt was closer to his face than he felt comfortable with.

"Sing the Circle of Life," Darcy said over the crowd, laughing. Loki made a face, remembering the scene where the baboon held the lion cub over his head.

"I'll drop you," he warned, but with humor. Darcy stuck her tongue out, and he carefully put her down and said she was starting to feel claustrophobic, so they proceeded to the next section.

They weaved in and out of the nooks and crannies of Paris; occasionally stopping into small (but delicious) cafes, and shopped. Darcy shopped with childlike excitement when she found something unique or a chachka and Loki stood by watching quietly, and offered his opinion when asked.

He was content just observing her—she didn't know the full extent of how worried he was when she got sick and seeing her relax was like a huge sigh of relief for him. While she always looked beautiful, it seemed to radiate from within against the Parisian backdrop and romantic atmosphere.

That night, they dined in a five star restaurant, and they agreed that escargot was best left to the French, but soufflés should be the next wonder of the world.

* * *

The next two days went by in a hazy bliss—Loki had nothing on the agenda, so Darcy wanted to stop by Shakespeare and Company to pick up some books. She was currently buying _A Clockwork Orange_ while Loki was deciding between two F. Scott Fitzgerald books.

Bouncing on her toes, Darcy suggested that if he wanted the best he should read  _Gatsby_  but his others were pretty heart wrenching. Loki opted for _This Side of Paradise_  to Darcy's delight and they spent the rest of the day, backs pressed against each other on a bench, in the Luxembourg Gardens, and read in unspoken comfort.

* * *

Loki planned for their last night to be special—dinner in the Eiffel Tower and a boat trip along the Seine to conclude the night. Their week had been so perfect, and despite everything, Loki felt liberated _._ Yes, he was a god, a prince, a Frost Giant, and worked for a secret organization. But he was also a man, and for the first time in a while, he felt emotionally awakened as if the world demanded to be noticed in all its beauty. While New York was constantly buzzing with excitement, it didn't match the deep rooted culture of Paris that was aglow with every step he took on the cobble stone streets. He said himself that freedom was life's greatest lie, but he embraced this evanescent freedom. He sat idly on the bed, waiting for Darcy to finish getting dressed.

Darcy stood in front of the mirror, exasperated with her hair. Straighten it? Bun? Or some half-assed up do? She eventually settled on a bun that let some locks of hair down to keep it classy. It would go well with the maroon dress she had brought and the black beaded necklace Loki bought her while shopping. It was expensive, and Darcy insisted that since he was paying for their trip, she should at least just indulge herself, but he paid for it anyway after doing the classic reach and grab, and given his long arms, it was impossible for her.

A soft knock hit the bathroom door. "Darcy? We should go soon if we want to make it to our reservation on time. I can bring us there, but I think you said would prefer walking."

"I'll be out in a minute." God, she felt like they were husband and wife or something with the way he toted her around. Not that she minded, it was nice being treated like a princess, but the butterflies she was usually able to suppress was getting harder and harder.

Applying a smokey shadow, lipstick, and perfume (another recent purchase), she stepped out and picked up her handbag from the chair. Loki looked up from his reading, taking her in as if he was trapped in a reverie. Clearing her throat, he blinked and muttered a "Let's go," and opened the door and walked out without even waiting for her. He nearly forgot his wallet until Darcy picked it up from the nightstand and threw it towards him.

The entire trip was mostly made up of her indulging in everything Paris could offer, and Loki being her personal tour guide and translator at the same time. They didn't talk about work at all; just their musings on the unfamiliar territory and cracking their usual jokes. Loki was much quieter than usual, besides his long ramblings on facts of whatever monument they were visiting, but she assumed that he wanted her to take everything in without the menial chatter distracting her.

It was almost sunset by the time they reached the Eiffel Tower. They had been there earlier in the week to go to the top and see the view, and the restaurant was in the center, but the view was still wondrous. The waiter pulled back their seats, and they sat, opening up the fancy leather menus. Loki averted Darcy's eye, but said casually, "Did you know that even though the Eiffel Tower is 7000 tons, the amount of pressure that is exerted is about the same as a person sitting in a chair?"

She shook her head and commented that the lobster sounded nice, so she ordered that while Loki ordered the steak. Twiddling with her hair, Darcy looked out the window as the sun set and painted a dusty orange and red. Life was good, she realized this past week. After being so caught up in work, she forgot what it was like to live and smell the roses. Sure, she had breaks during the week and had girl time with Jane and some colleagues from work, but work always loomed over their heads. While Jane genuinely loved her job, Darcy couldn't wait until the end of the day.

"What are you thinking about?" Loki asked, gazing at her looking like a debonair with his slicked back hair and a shirt with too many buttons open.

Smiling, "I kinda really love my life right now. I mean, I always complain to you how it sucks being a secretary, but I think I'm cool with it now. I've got a roof over my head, the greatest safety ever," Loki had to smirk at that, "And good friends. I think I needed to take a step back and realize what I have to appreciate it, you know?" Loki nodded, but offered no reply as their salad came and he delved in.

"Is it random to say thank you right now?" Darcy asked, after finishing their dinner that was definitely worth the cost. She dabbed her mouth with her napkin even though her lipstick was long gone by now, but the fancy atmosphere made her feel out of place.

"What do you mean?"

The music in the restaurant got louder, signaling that people were allowed to dance on the wide open floor in the center. A few couples got up and swayed quietly. Loki looked at her and stretched out a hand.

Darcy narrowed her eyes comically. "You know I can't dance. At least, not like that. I'm more of a party dancer."

"It doesn't matter if you have a talented lead." He took her hand and pulled her to the dance floor where they moved awkwardly back and forth but eventually slipped into the beat.

"Now what were you saying about a thank you?"

"Oh, that." Her arms were draped around his neck while he held her steadily around the waist, but keeping a respectable two inches between them. It was a good thing she wore heels today or else she wouldn't have been able to reach as comfortably.

"I meant to say…Just…Thank you. For the whole trip, for everything." Her grip tightened around him. "It's been a dream, and it's all because of you. So thanks," she finished and hugged him as she closed the space between them. They still moved in time to the slow song playing, but their steps came to a steady pause when he returned her embrace.

"The pleasure was all mine," He responded softly. Checking his watch, "I believe we should have our dessert and then proceed to the boat tour so we don't have to rush."

* * *

It was dark by the time the tour started .Paris was a completely different wonder at night, so they took the seats on the top to get the best view. The various bridges that donned the Seine connected the different areas of Paris, and the bridges were illuminated with lights that were strung along the front. However, there was one odd green light in the center that drew in Loki's eyes in contrast to the surrounding yellow.

"And to your right is the  _Palais Garnier_ , the famous opera house of  _The Phantom of the Opera…_ "

Darcy jerked her head in excitement at the mention of one of her favorite musicals. She had taken Loki to see it on Broadway, and she harbored an amusing love for the Phantom. After taking a few pictures, he prepared himself for the usual rant whenever the Phantom of the Opera was mentioned.

"Christine should have chosen the phantom instead of boring Raoul." She drawled out Raoul in an unflattering way, making him chuckle. "So what if Erik was a creepy stalker?" The phantom's actual named turned out to be Erik, according to Darcy who also read the book. "He loved her, he looked out for her, and what does she do? She  _leaves him to die._ "

"Haven't you heard of the phrase, 'If you love something, then let it go?'" He offered, but she blew a raspberry.

"Bullshit. If you  _really_  love something, you wouldn't let it go. You would fight for it until it's entirely over."

Loki was noticing a trend with Darcy's favorite characters. "You seem to like the outcasts of society," he mused and he noticed that Darcy's expression changed into something more thoughtful than the fan-girl rage she had on before.

"I guess I do. I feel like they need some love since their lives were miserable to begin with and then it just gets worse from there."

"Didn't you say the Hunchback found love in the second movie, though?"

Rolling her eyes, "Yes, but the animation sucked. He loved Esmeralda first! The other girl was total rebound."

"If you were Christine," He referred to the Phantom's love interest. "What would you do?"

A sly grin spread onto Darcy's face. "You don't want to know." She winked and he laughed as they descended down the river towards the mini Statue of Liberty.

* * *

Loki tried to keep his breathing steady. After the boat ride, they decided to take a walk along the river as a last night in Paris. Their hands were intertwined and they were walking in a comfortable silence while Darcy tried to take everything in for one last time. Mulling over their conversation about the Phantom again, Loki had the sudden urge to tell her everything—his origin, his punishment, and why he wanted to take over her world. The feeling was bubbling up within him to the point he had a hard time containing it, even though he knew there was a slim chance that he could ruin a perfect week. But it was for that reason he wanted to tell her. It was perfect, nothing else could go wrong and he needed to get this off his chest.

"I can hear you thinking," She said, snapping him from his thoughts.

"What?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

"You're really lost in thought; it's like I can just hear the thoughts wanting to pour out." Was he that readable? He must've looked visibly distraught if he slipped from his usual calm demeanor.

Squeezing her hand a bit tighter, he said in a slow measured voice. "I need to tell you something, Darcy."

"O-kay." Darcy said, gesturing towards a bench they could sit down on. Looking a bit troubled since Loki rarely danced around topics, she waited for him to go on.

"You're aware that I faced punishment after my escapade here, correct?" She nodded, still holding his hand.

He touched his lips with his fingers gently gliding over them and set his hand back down in his lap. "Odin sewed my mouth shut and made me stand in the palace gardens like a zoo animal. After the effects of the Tesseract wore off, I began to realize the effects of my actions and how consumed by anger I became. Much of it was garnered from the Tesseract, but it was undoubtedly powered from my rage. Before my father sewed my lips, he told me he loved me. And then my mother…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "Threw herself at me from the moment I came home. Not Thor, but me, and chanted back and forth that I was her son. And it seemed that Thor forgave me on the spot and even challenged Odin's punishment." He let Darcy soak that in, searching her eyes but found them to be glazed with the beginning of tears.

"As I sat in the garden, I began to realize that my family did love me. Frigga often visited several times a day and caught me up on the events in Asgard from when I left. However, there was still another matter to address." He swallowed. This was it.

"What was it?" Darcy asked quietly after a long pause from Loki, who was staring off into the distance towards the lights along the Seine.

"How much do you know of my adoption?" He asked carefully.

"Just what Thor told me; which was that you're adopted. He didn't go any farther than that."

Realizing what he wanted to do, he pulled her up by their joined hands and led her quickly back to their hotel.

"Loki, you never fini—" She panted, trying to keep up with him.

"I will explain once we're behind closed doors."

* * *

The ride up the elevator seemed to last forever, and that was saying something for a god who was eons of years old. Darcy fidgeted, looking worriedly at him, wanting to say something, but she knew it wasn't the right time. He didn't wait for the door to open all the way and bolted out, with Darcy's hand still in his.

Unlocking the door quickly, he threw the card on the bed and looked at her like he was trying to solve some complicated math problem.

"Loki?" She asked, stepping closer to him and pressed her hand against his cheek.

He took her wrist and brought her hand back to her side and whispered, "I'm sorry if this changes things."

In an instant, his skin began to change color from his usual pale skin to a deep blue. His eyes glowed red and markings rose from his skin. Holding his breath, he gauged her reaction.

Darcy's seen some pretty weird things in the past couple years—it was pretty expected working for a secret organization, and seeing superheroes at work. And Loki's shown her magic plenty times. Most of it was just menial tricks, but he did amusingly transform Clint and Natasha into their respective animals. While he was the God of Mischief, there was something to be said for two master assassins going after you.

So when he turned blue and did something freaky with eyes, she wasn't perturbed, rather, she was interested. She remembered Thor saying something about Frost Giants and how they were Asgard's sworn enemy, but she had no idea what they looked like. And besides, Loki was the same height and while he was annoyingly tall, he wasn't a giant.

"Well?" He asked in a strangled tone.

"Well what?" Darcy crossed her arms. "You made me run across Paris in heels to watch you turn blue? No offense, but I've seen you do better."

Loki's eyes widened, and tentatively stepped closer to her so that their chests were touching. "Does this not frighten you?" His breath was cold, and it sent chills down her spine, but she looked up at him in the eye.

"No. Should it?" She put her hand on his cheek again, but it was colder this time. He shuddered at their contact, and he became aware that she was concerned about him. She looked at him like one would at a lost puppy—worried, but affectionate.

He sat down on their bed, and he began to explain that he was a Frost Giant, and a son of Laufey, stolen by Odin for the purpose of uniting their worlds. The name meant nothing to her, so he went on and it was nearly one thirty in the morning when he finished, finding himself emotionally drained. Darcy was crying by the end, clinging to him, and she said that she was  _sorry_.

She went to the bathroom to wash up and change, leaving him to contemplate her reaction. It wasn't quite unexpected; after all, Darcy had a soft spot for abandoned creatures, but it was still strange to him. Even Thor who has seen his true form several times still looked mildly horrified.

Darcy came out blowing her nose into a tissue and threw it away. Loki changed into pajamas with the wave of his hand and they settled into the bed, blocked by Darcy's pillow fort. They turned to face each other, with her looking into his red eyes in wonder.

"You're still the same Loki to me," she undid the fort and moved over to kiss on him the cheek, and for a fleeting moment, Loki wished he could turn it into something more, but he didn't want to push his luck for tonight.

Wrapping an arm around her, Darcy snuggled against him, reminding him of their first encounter.

He began to change back, but Darcy noticed and kicked him gently on the shin. "Stay." She muttered and the blue re-appeared. Loki clicked the AC off and shut off the lights and fell asleep to their steady breaths in sync.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been to Paris, but it's been awhile, so I had to do some research on a couple of places. The Mona Lisa is actually really small, and all of Loki's fun facts are true too.
> 
> The pacing for this chapter is a bit strange, and I apologize for anyone who didn't enjoy it. I thought of their time in Paris as a hazy but beautiful montage, so I hoped to include some enjoyable scenes.
> 
> For the snippet in Italian: I used google translate, so if it's grammatically incorrect, I apologize
> 
> Kudos to anyone who understood the Gatsby allusion ;D


	6. Chapter Five

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2017_

They had done it.

After years of painstaking research, failed attempts, and late nights, the Einstein-Rosen Bridge was complete. Darcy almost couldn't believe this day had finally come, it seemed such a normal routine to walk into work every day, working on the same thing with little success, but every failure led to something more until finally they made contact with Yggdrasil, and in turn, the Bifrost.

Darcy didn't understand the schematics behind it, but from what she's gathered from Tony Stark and Jane, is that the energy they were looking for wasn't involved with exactly with science per se, but magic. Loki had always said that magic and science were one in the same, and they had finally tapped into what the beginning of magical energy. However, according to Loki, humans would never have the power to wield magic since their bodies wouldn't be able to handle it, but weapons were entirely possible. That was already seen in the making when Fury tried to use the Tesseract's power to create some sort of super weapons, but that had fallen through after The Avengers put their foot down.

After her trip to Paris, Loki had become increasingly busy and he spent more of his time in Asgard. It wasn't like the first year he went away; he had no time for letters, but he tried to make visits at least three times a week so they could have their movie nights. It wasn't the same though, and Darcy missed his random treats for her during work, however spoiled the thought was.

_They were lying on her couch after the movie ended. He was in his usual spot, leaning against the arm of the chair while she curled up into a ball next to him. It was winter and her heat was turned up all the way, but it was still cold. A comfortable silence was between them as they listened to the music as the credits rolled._

" _Don't you ever feel torn going in between Earth and Asgard? Though I guess it's nice having two bedrooms," she joked, a smile creeping up on her features as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her._

" _Not really. With you, I'm home." Her smile left as quickly as it came, and it was replaced with an 'o' of surprise at the sudden burst of sentimentality._

Despite her previous thoughts of their friendship becoming strained with him being away, it didn't. Sure, they didn't get to talk as much, but absence made the heart grow fonder in their case. And, she eventually learned what he was doing for SHIELD to her excitement.

" _Fury confronted me after I returned to Midgard. He wanted to know what else was out there. After the Chitauri invaded, it became clear that Midgard was not prepared at all for any extraterrestrial invasion. You may have the Avengers and other super hero groups, but the world still isn't safe. He then asked if it was possible for Midgard to form an alliance with Asgard or any of the other realms. The thought was absolutely preposterous at the time, the Aesir haven't interacted with Midgardians in thousands of years, and Midgardians tend to squander or use any sort of power recklessly."_

_Loki was still pro-monarchy, despite Darcy's argument. (She wasn't a political science major for nothing!)_

" _However, I talked to Odin about the situation, and he agreed that it would be wise for Asgard to form an alliance."_

" _There's a but statement, isn't there?" Darcy chimed in, after listening intently._

_He nodded. "The Bifrost is still broken, and he already expended much of his power sending Thor to Midgard. I am a means of travel for both of us, but Odin did not appreciate Thor breaking the Bifrost because we are currently unable to visit the other realms. Jotunheim could invade at any given moment if they were not in a civil war, but from my intelligence, that is dwindling. That is why I was away for a year—I had to make sure Asgard was safe from the other realms, though the elves and the dwarves would never dream of attacking us."_

" _What does that have to do with forming an alliance with us?"_

" _The Bifrost is a magical artifact, ergo, unable to be fixed by mortal means, or the Aesir. We need aid from the other realms, but first we need a mode of transportation. That is where Jane's bridge comes in. Odin agreed that if Midgard was some able to restore the connection, he would offer an alliance."_

_Darcy drank this in, realizing that their world was about to change forever. "Does he actually believe we can do it?"_

_A strange laugh came from Loki, who played with a ball of light in his palm. "Yes, he does. Though, I don't think he realized it was coming sooner than he thought, but he knows that inevitably, the connection to Midgard had to be restored."_

" _So what you're saying is that you're like a magical ambassador."_

_Withdrawing the light, he looked at her. "Yes, I suppose I am."_

" _Is that why they call you silver tongue? Because you can work through any debate or argument?"_

_Loki's eyes narrowed playfully. "Where did you hear that?"_

" _Thor. He brags a lot about you, you know."_

_Looking a bit thrown off, Loki continued. "Anyway, that is why my presence here is limited. With each day, SHIELD gets closer to achieving their goal, which means Asgard and all the nine realms have to be prepared. I have been informing the other races, and although they are wary, they are ready. Well, perhaps not the elves, they are quite arrogant, but we do have common enemies."_

_Drawing her legs upward and wrapping her arms around them, Darcy took a deep breath and released it. "I can't believe I got involved in this; I'm still trying to wrap my head around being best friends with a god."_

_Loki smiled and patted her on the head affectionately. "I can't wait for you to see Asgard. It's beautiful."_

_Returning his smile, "I can't wait either."_

And that was the last time they spoke of Loki's work. He sometimes returned back to Earth looking haggard, occasionally with remnants of ash on his face. When he first came to her apartment like that, she demanded to know what was going on, but he quickly dismissed her and plopped down on her couch asking what movie they were watching that night.

At first she was worried that she would lose her job after the bridge was complete, but Jane assured her that wouldn't happen. They still had a lot of tests to run, they couldn't let anyone go through the bridge, so Loki and the Avengers were frequent test subjects since they could handle any discomfort that would be thrown at them. Turns out, the only thing that was discomforting was Heimdall's gaze when they arrived in Asgard, so the bridge was good to go, ready for ordinary people to (or rather, SHIELD agents) use.

That was a month ago, and Darcy desperately wanted to be one of the first to go, but SHIELD had something different in mind. Apparently her degree in political science didn't go unnoticed, and her interactions with Loki and Thor proved to be useful.

" _Miss Lewis, please step into my office." Coulson called her after her lunch break, and she was beginning to sweat bullets._

" _Did I do something wrong? I swear, I only came in like five minutes late today, my alarm was acting funky this morning and my coffee machine was on the fritz, and my hair was a mess and I couldn't show up to work looking like I got in a fight with my blow dryer—"_

" _Miss Lewis, please calm down, you're not in trouble." Coulson looked at her with his usual eerie calm smile and continued. He pulled out her file, picture and all and began to read. "Darcy Lewis. Origin: Santa Fe, New Mexico. Studied Political Science at the University of New Mexico and worked as an intern for Jane Foster in the summer that Thor appeared." She swallowed and didn't dare say a word as he put the papers back in._

" _And it's my understanding that you are…" He searched for the right word, "Friends with Loki." Darcy nodded, still unsure of where he was going._

" _Yeah, we've been friends for a while." She said dubiously._

" _How do you feel about Political Science, Miss Lewis?"_

" _Uh. Well, I'm still interested in it, if that's what you're wondering. I still read some stuff on it, but it's not like I've actually practiced it. I only wound up as an intern for Jane because there were no other applicants."_

_Coulson nodded and pulled out another paper and set it on the desk. "Loki has informed us that SHIELD will need a set of foreign ambassadors to make negotiations with Asgard and the other realms. I am beginning to form a team. Director Fury is the head, and he put me in charge of finding suitable agents. You've been in SHIELD long enough to know our code, and your experience with Asgardians are more than average. Our observations show that you will most likely be fairly calm under the different circumstances you might face, and your degree in Political Science already puts you more qualified than some of our other agents."_

_Darcy's mind reeled. What? Wasn't she just a glorified secretary who knew too much? Her mouth gaped open as she stared at Coulson._

" _I understand this is quite a change from your usual job, but please take it under consideration. I am sure Miss Foster won't mind."_

_A million thoughts flew. She was at the stage where she was pretty content with her life and eventually gave up on trying to do something remarkable. After their breakthrough, things got busy in every aspect so it kept her on her toes. Becoming a Foreign (emphasis on foreign, because this was another country, it was another realm she was visiting) Ambassador didn't occur to her, she always assumed it would be the higher ups taking care of it._

" _Of course, Director Fury will be the head speaker, but you will be among the voices of guidance. Your file has already been cleared by him, so do not worry about his approval."_

_Huh. Fury thought she could do it? That settled it, then._

" _I'm game." She said, and with the pen on the side of Coulson's desk, she signed her name like she did five years ago when she first agreed to work for SHIELD._

_Coulson laughed. "I wasn't quite finished yet, but I like your enthusiasm. You'll have to undergo some training, if that's okay with you."_

_Darcy's eyebrows rose slightly. "What kind of training?"_

" _Oh, just some precautionary things like weapons training and a class."_

_Hold it. There was no way in hell she could handle a gun. "Uhm. Agent Coulson…I don't think you have the right girl." She gestured up and down at her body. "I'm not made for combat."_

_Coulson got up from his desk and patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Minor things, Miss Lewis, do not worry. We will have a separate team of armed forces, but any agent going into this will need some sort of weapon training just in case. Are we still good?"_

_Biting on her lip, "Yeah, I think so. I think I need to wrap my head around this more, but I'm good."_

" _Wonderful. I'll need your card, because you'll be moving up in security clearance. Your training begins tomorrow."_

Darcy immediately called Loki after that meeting, but he didn't answer, so she assumed he was in Asgard. She actually didn't hear from him for two weeks, but her training started. She sucked using a gun (no surprise there) but she had her trusty taser. It wasn't hers, but a SHILED issue, a million times stronger.

_When Loki returned, the first time she saw him was at a SHIELD meeting. Since she had a higher clearance, she was invited to them now and she was sitting at the table with her team. When he saw her, he looked surprised, but continued what he was doing as he made his way to the front of the room in his Asgardian armor._

" _My travels throughout the realms have been, for the most part, successful. Most of them know that you are coming under no hostile circumstances."_

" _Most?" Fury barked out._

_Loki nodded. "Places like Jotunheim,_ _Muspelheim_ _, and_ _Svartalfheim_ _are still ambiguous to the situation, but somewhat open." Darcy knew from her training that Muspelheim housed the fire demons while Svartalfheim was home to the dark elves. They didn't have much research other than their behaviors and rough outlines of their culture._

" _Your suggestion?" Fury continued._

" _You are starting with Asgard, correct?" Fury nodded silently. "I then suggest moving on to Alfheim and_ _Nidavellir_ _. The elves and dwarves, however arrogant they may be, are interested in Midgardians. Perhaps word will reach to the other realms that you come merely for political reasons. War hasn't happened between the realms for centuries, and they aren't looking to start any, but they are wary. Maybe you should post pone your trips to the others until I know it is safe."_

_Looking at Loki with a measured eye, Fury replied in a deadpan voice, "No. We have come too far to wait any longer. After the Chitarui, I now realize how far behind we are. Earth must be ready for whatever strikes, and any sort of information on these races will be useful."_

" _Fury, I think it's in your best interest to listen to my brother. He knows what is out there, as do I." Thor was at the table too, even though he wouldn't be going any farther than Asgard for the time being._

" _I still say we're going. We'll gather more soldiers just in case, but we're going."_

" _What if their lives are at risk? Will you really gamble that for your desire to obtain information?" Loki was trying to mask his irritation, but he spat the words out._

" _You just said that they're aware we're coming and they won't hurt us."_

" _I say that from what they've told me! They're slippery creatures and want what you want: the upper hand."_

" _We'll take that chance. Thank you for your input, Loki." He said the words as a dismissal, and after a long look from Loki, he sat down next to Darcy._

" _We need to have a chat," he said to her warningly._

Darcy knew the stakes were higher, but like Fury, she was willing to take the chance. She felt invigorated and more confident than she had in years. Her political science studies kicked in, and she felt genuinely happy. Loki, however, was not pleased with her new position.

_Loki tapped his foot, watching her make dinner. "Why you?"_

_Darcy looked offended, but let it slide as she flipped a burger. "I am a political science major, you know."_

" _This isn't about politics, Darcy. It's about Fury getting what he wants and risking everything to get it. Do you know the reason why I come back weary from my travels? It's because the fire demons thought it'd be funny to throw magical lava at me." Darcy paused in her hamburger flipping and looked at him._

" _If that happened to your group, Fury would wage war and you would lose terribly."_

" _You must've said something, then." Darcy knew it was a stupid remark, but she went with it. He laughed darkly._

" _Darcy. I am a master of words and magic. I know my place, and I know the fire demons. They're tricksters, like me."_

" _What are you saying?" Darcy asked, suddenly annoyed with him._

" _I want you to stop after you reach the dwarves. Go home before the danger starts. Have your fun in Asgard and in Alfheim, but do not go any farther." He was next to her now, taking her hand._

" _I do not want to lose you," he said in a gentler tone. Darcy yanked her hand from his and shut the stove off._

" _No."_

_His eyebrows rose. "No?"_

" _You heard me." She put the burger on a plate and squeezed more ketchup than needed and slammed the cap shut._

" _I'm not going to skimp out on SHIELD because you're worried. I signed up for the whole thing, and that's what I'm going to do." Looking her over, Loki sighed. He knew why she wanted this, she projected her feelings very clearly the past few years, but the stakes were just too high. If he were allowed to accompany them, he would let Darcy go, but Odin gave him very clear instructions that he wasn't allowed to be with the Midgardians. If they somehow started a rift within the realms, Odin didn't want the blame to lie on Asgard too. Loki saw his logic and acquiesced, though with reluctance._

" _Very well," he said and vanished before she could even turn around._

Their conversations became limited after that, but not out of anger. Darcy's training had gotten more vigorous, and Loki spent much of his time planning with the team, and informing them of the other realms they were facing. Their first stop was Asgard, which would be although intimidating, much easier than the others.

Today was the day, and even though Darcy didn't feel ready, she knew that the team was. Buzzed with excitement, she tied her hair into a pony tail and had her luggage packed at the door. She wore a SHIELD issued uniform that fit snugly around her body, but it was comfortable enough to move around and hold weapons.

She checked the clock. 7:15 AM. Forty-five minutes until they would be leaving Earth and into Asgard. Although Jane wasn't on the team, she would be departing with them to visit. Thor had finally popped the question after the bridge was completed—apparently building a bridge to connect Earth and the other realms granted you immortality, or at least that's what Jane told Darcy.

" _It was all so sudden! He got down on one knee after we finished dessert and he proposed. I didn't even know he knew how to propose." A girlish giggle came from Jane and she continued. "Apparently his dad said that I was worthy to be an Aesir after constructing the bridge. Can you believe it? Thor and I talked about it before, but I was always afraid…"_

_Darcy nodded. Jane often she wondered if Thor thought she was still pretty with her aging, but Darcy assured her that she looked like a model and probably could be one if she wasn't an astrophysicist. However, the thought of mortality loomed over Jane like a dark cloud as she grew older with every year._

" _I want you to be my maid of honor. You're one of my best friends, Darce. You put up with me when I'm all crabby and down if something didn't work. You're always there reassuring me." Jane pulled Darcy into a hug and Darcy smiled. Jane was getting her happy ending, just like she deserved._

Darcy pulled out her keys, readying to lock up her apartment for the next month or so. Reaching for the doorknob, she turned it to open, but to her surprise, it wouldn't. She checked the lock. Yep, definitely unlocked. Maybe something was stuck? She got down on her knees and looked for anything that would obstruct the door, but there was nothing. The floors were all swept since she cleaned the day before to prepare.

She tried again. Still stuck. She didn't want to break the door since she had a lot of stuff in her apartment and didn't want anyone to steal it, but she needed to go. Loki could probably get her out, so she took out her cell phone and dialed his number. Nothing. Could he be in Asgard already? She tried Jane. Her phone was already off, probably in her house since cell phones didn't work in Asgard. Thor? Again, turned off.

After about ten more calls to various colleagues, all the lines were either busy or they didn't pick up. Darcy's brows furrowed. Something wasn't right.

After rummaging in her kitchen, she found a meat tenderizer. She'll probably get fined for this, but she didn't care. Doing a bad imitation of Thor, she swung the hammer at her door knob, expecting it to leave a dent or even breaking it. It didn't, and it flung back with much more force than she exerted, making her fall to the ground. Eyes widening, she threw the hammer at the door, and it stopped and slid down without leaving a single dent.

No. He wouldn't. He  _wouldn't,_ she thought to herself, picking up the hammer again. Biting her lip, she ran to the bathroom where there was a small window. Drawing in a breath, hoping she was wrong, she hit the glass and like the door, the hammer bounced back like it was a child's toy.

She did this to the rest of the windows in her apartment, with each yielding the same results. She was cursing in frustration, as she checked the time again. 7:50. At this rate, she would need a good cab to get there, but she wanted  _out_. Cursing Loki under her breath, she paced, trying to figure out what to do. Her phone wasn't working even though she had full bars, and she was willing to bet that Loki had everything to do with it.

She had wondered why he was so passive after their little fight, and he knew her well enough that she wouldn't agree to his terms, so of course he resulted to magic. She hit the window again in frustration, but her fist bounced back like the window was made of rubber. Damn him. Damn him and his magic.

A little voice inside of her said that he was only doing this to protect her, but she was an adult. She could make her own decisions and if he didn't like it, he would have to deal. She pulled out her phone again, dialing Loki. He wouldn't answer, but she needed to vent.

"Hello, you've reached the voicemail of Loki Odinson. If I didn't answer, I probably don't want to talk to you. Do leave a message though, and perhaps I'll call back if I feel like it." Gritting her teeth, Darcy inhaled to prepare herself for her rant.

"Listen, you douche. I need to leave  _right now_  and if you're not here in five minutes, I'm kicking your Asgardian ass. I don't know what you did to my apartment, but I can't leave and I really need to fucking go or else Fury will kill me,  _do you understand?_ " It was silent on the other end, but Darcy continued, fuming, trying to mask the lump in her throat.

"You have no right to lock me here like I'm your prisoner!" More silence. Sighing, realizing that this wasn't making her feel better, she hit 'end' and threw her phone onto her bed. Checking the time, it was 7:55. He better come, she thought to herself, grasping the meat tenderizer tightly in her hand.

* * *

"Loki, where is Darcy?" Jane looked around with a worried expression. It was almost time to depart, and she hasn't even checked into SHIELD yet.

"I believe she told Fury she caught a nasty disease," he lied smoothly.

"Darcy? Disease? She was fine last night when I talked to her. I should probably call her." Loki shrugged and continued his work, but a knot twisted in his stomach.

"No answer. Maybe I should…"

"Jane, do not worry. I am sure Fury knows what's going on," Thor offered, wrapping an arm around her.

A ding went off in SHIELD, signaling for everyone to get in their places. Jane still looked worried, but followed Thor as Fury gathered them.

Loki stood with them, hands clasped in front, his thoughts trailing off and not listening to Fury's instructions. The knot in his stomach was still there, and he knew it was because of Darcy. Part of him wanted to release her from the temporary prison he made, but he knew he was protecting her. Thor would have done the same if Jane ventured further than Asgard, he rationalized.

"…And so, whatever lays ahead, good luck to you all," Fury finished, and he gave the thumbs up for the team to hit the lever to send them off. Loki drew a breath, and let himself be taken up by the foreign magic, realizing that a new world was about to be born.

* * *

It was 5:00 PM. No one had answered their phones, and her door was still locked and the windows were unbreakable. Knowing that she had missed her chance, she changed into normal clothes and wound up falling back asleep to pretend it was all a bad dream, but when she woke up, her unneeded luggage was still at the door and still locked.

A knock sounded and Darcy jerked up in surprise, making a beeline for the door. It opened, and Loki was standing there, with a strange expression on his face. It didn't look apologetic or sorry, and for the first time in Darcy's life, she realized that Loki was afraid.

Half tempted to slam the door on him, she said icily, "Loki." He stepped in wordlessly, staring at an aimless spot on her ceiling.

"I got your voicemail," he said quietly.

Darcy laughed with sarcasm dripping from it. "Really. How was your trip to Asgard? Any Frost Giants in town?" He flinched at that, but she didn't care. He didn't understand how hurt she was. She was bubbling with anger that he was standing in her apartment looking perfectly placid.

"You're lucky I'm not tasing your ass right now," she said, wondering if she should but knowing Loki, it wouldn't do anything.

"Darcy, you have to believe me when I say it's for the best. You were unqualified for this mission; I'll take you to Asgard tomorrow if that makes you feel better."

_Slap._

Loki looked wide eyed at Darcy, whose hand was still in the air. She was breathing heavy, looking a bit surprised by her own reaction. He said nothing, knowing he probably deserved that, but Darcy wasn't done.

"Unqualified? Really, Loki?" She choked back a few tears that were threatening to fall, and she started yelling. "You're not my father!"

"Don't put words into my mouth and when I said you were unqualified I meant—"

"I don't care what you meant! That's my point; I don't care what you say! In case you haven't noticed, I'm not your property. I'm your  _friend_. Friends let other friends do shit because they know they need to do it! And what's with your offer about bringing to me Asgard? Do you realize how  _humiliating_ that is?!"

"Darcy, please…" He was searching for the right words, but he couldn't think clearly looking at her tear stained face. "I did this to protect you."

Another slap.

He didn't react, which irritated her, so she continued. "Protect me? Protect me from what?! Are you ashamed of being friends with me and you couldn't bear to let all of Asgard see because I'm not impressive like all the other SHIELD agents holding guns?! I may not be a Black Widow or Captain America, but Fury trusted me.  _Fury_. Do you know how good that made me feel; to have someone with so much power to actually think I could be of some help to this universe changing thing?!" It all came out in a torrent like the dam had broken.

Loki scoffed at the notion that Fury was powerful. Yes, he had power in an organization, but that was all meaningless words and connections. Like he told Fury before, he had no idea what real power is, and he was about to find out.

"You're a fool to think I'm ashamed of you," he said, stepping closer to her.

"I know how to take care of myself." She crossed her arms and moved a few paces back.

"Darcy, you're being unreasonable. The connection between our two worlds is open now; there will be plenty of other times in the future,  _when it is safe_  for you to go. For now, it's best that you wait and—"

"I'M NOT JANE, LOKI!"

He froze, looking at her cautiously. As if he was talking to a child, he said softly, "What do you mean?"

Darcy was crying now, her words flowing out of her mouth before she could even think. She choked back a sob before continuing. "I don't have infinity. I don't have forever. I'm going to fucking _die_  one day. I can't wait around for things to happen, and this was my chance to go out and do something—And you took that from me."

Loki drew back as if he was hit and his eyes grew dark. "I thought you had gotten past this silly notion that you want to leave a mark on the world. Humans need to understand that no matter what you do, it will not have any effect on the universe. You are a single organism among trillions in a galaxy that reaches farther than your small mind can grasp. You claim you want to make a difference in the world, but that is like a pebble in a stream believing it can control the current."

Darcy swallowed, drinking in his words. Her mouth formed into a thin line. "Get out."

His eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Get out of my apartment." Her voice was cold, but vulnerable through her tear stained eyes but she looked at him square in the face. She had plenty more to say, but she couldn't. Not now, and possibly not ever, at this rate.

"Darcy—" His voice dropped, losing all hints of malice.

"If you aren't going to let me live my life, then get out of it. I can't do this anymore. I can't be your friend if you see me as an expendable pebble."

"I meant that in a metamorphic sense; have I ever made you feel inferior?"

"Yes. Now." Her words were biting, and he rose from the couch, looking sadly at her and made his way for the door even though he could have vanished right there.

He shut with an affirming click, and didn't look back as Darcy went to lock it as she got some tissues.

Throwing herself onto the bed, she checked her phone with a false hope and placed it on her night stand.

Curling around a pillow, she realized Loki had bought it for her, so she threw it on the ground and replaced it with another. She had gotten into fights with friends before, but this felt different—like her heart was breaking at the same time, perhaps because she never felt this level of betrayal. Burying her head in the pillow, she cried softly, hoping that this would all blow over soon


	7. Chapter Six

Loki rested his head against the board of his bed and flipped through a spell book aimlessly. How long has it been? A month? Maybe more? He fell into a routine that consisted of eating, working, reading, and sleeping. He enjoyed sleeping the most, and craved the sweet escape that it provided from the usual torturous thoughts during the day.

After his fight with Darcy, he immediately retreated back to Asgard and stayed there, wanting nothing to do with Midgard. He made his father aware of this, and his father agreed with no complaint since Thor still gallivanted with The Avengers and Jane. With Thor out of the picture, Odin paid more attention to Loki, making sure that he knew he had a place in court. Loki cared little for politics, and found the conversations boring, but felt comforted in the fact that Odin still desired his presence, but he would ever admit that to anyone.

As he predicted, the elves were curious and the dwarves agreed to an economic pact with Midgard, but SHIELD ran into trouble with the dark elves. He heard from court gossip and snippets from Thor that Fury over stepped his boundaries, causing the elves to lash out with magic. Afraid and unaware, the elves took pity on the group and allowed them to retreat.

Running a hand through his hair, he put the book down knowing that he couldn't concentrate. With most of his reading, he had only skimmed through it since it offered little distraction. Sometimes he would consider experimenting more with his Jotunn magic, but he couldn't bring himself to. He was a monster to all of Asgard.

A knock sounded on his door, so he waved his hand to open it. His mother stepped in, looking regal as ever with a tender look upon her face.

"Is there something wrong, mother?" He asked, getting up from the bed. His mother motioned him to sit back down and she sat next to him and touched his shoulder gently.

"Can I not visit my son? Thor has been away more than usual and Odin has been in court all day."

Loki narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and said quietly, "Thor put you up to this."

Frigga smiled, knowing she could not lie to him. "He asked me to check up on you; he's been very worried."

"Tell him I am doing well." Crossing his legs with his body outstretched on the bed, he plucked the book back up.

"Loki." Frigga put her hand on the book, forcing him to look back up at her in the eye. In that moment, he felt like a child and pursed his lips.

"I am, mother. Asgard is my home and I am happy to be here. What else do I need in life?"

"Asgard isn't your only home. Ever since you returned from Midgard, you have been shutting everyone out who isn't your father or me, and whenever you finish your duties for the day, you retreat to your room. You eat all your meals here, and spend your time reading."

"I don't exactly have  _friends_ , mother," knowing full well that the Warriors Three had always liked Thor more than him, and after his stint as king, they haven't been able to look him in the eye.

"But you did in Midgard." The sentence hung in the air as Loki's gaze darkened, looking a bit pained.

"Not many. They were more of acquaintances, and they're Thor's friends."

Frigga walked over to his desk with neatly stacked books on the end and a quill in the right hand corner. In the center of the desk, there was a picture of him and a brown-haired girl, grinning widely. She picked it up and sat back next to him, and Loki stiffened as he saw the picture.

"What about her?" She examined the picture more closely, noticing that they were against a stone structure, and his arm was draped around her shoulders while hers were around his waist.

Snatching the picture, Loki said, "We're not friends anymore." He put the picture in between the pages of his book and closed it.

"What happened on Midgard, Loki? When you were called back, you didn't even say goodbye and between your visitations, you seemed quite happy. You've returned without reason, and refuse to go back when Thor calls upon you." She touched his arm gently. "Did you care for her?"

"More than I should have," he replied tersely and rose from the bed onto the floor. "Shall I join you for dinner? Would that make you happy?"

"Loki." She used her scolding voice, one that he had not heard in years. "You have always kept close to yourself and your problems closer. But if you ever need anything—"

"I'll meet you for dinner, mother." He picked his book up again, letting the picture slide out and fall onto the floor. Frigga bent down and put it gently back on to his table and walked out, giving him a worried look.

Loki sighed, immediately feeling guilty for upsetting his mother, but there was little he could do about it. Ever since he returned, he replayed that night over and over again in his mind, wishing he could take back all his actions and words, but he was met with a painful realization once again.

She was mortal. She wasn't Jane, as she caustically said, and she would die.

And if that was the case, he would be better off leaving her life before he sunk too far in. At one point he rationalized that it would all be worth it, but his disposition was poisonous to her. Trying to be good was different than actually being good, and while his services to SHIELD proved to be valuable, he had no taste working for a man who was motivated by selfish ambitions.

But he missed her, truly. He never realized the freedom he felt talking to someone who understood him, who gave no thought to his odd quirks, and even if he confused her, she would try to understand. And he hoped, with a flicker in his heart, that she felt the same way. He looked at his unusable phone on the table, wondering if she ever bothered to call him to say sorry, only to be told that he left her world.

She would be much better off without him, he told himself. It was not in good fortune to associate with the God of Mischief, and if she ever wanted to "make something of herself," as she liked to put it, she wouldn't have to blink and eyelash back to him.

The whole situation was ridiculous, he thought. The only god to ever befriend a mortal was  _Thor_. Magnificent, fate defying, hammer wielding, Thor. So of course a happy ending would be given to him on a silver platter. Loki was a fool to ever think that the situation could have worked out the same for him.

Casting a look at the picture, he sighed and got up from his bed to meet his mother for dinner.

* * *

Darcy slung her bag over her shoulder as she made a dash for work; coffee in one hand, a scone in the other.

Giving the address to the cab driver, she sat back in relief, munching on her scone, musing how her life had taken a turn in the past few months as she looked out the window on the rainy November day.

After Loki left, she turned into a shell of her former self and didn't leave her house until Jane came back from Asgard and stormed her way in, worried. Darcy explained to Jane what had happened, that Loki had prevented her from going on her trip, and Jane was furious, but looked somewhat relieved, making Darcy wonder if Jane doubted her too.

They never spoke of Loki again after that, and Jane knew what Darcy needed was space. Loki had left a huge imprint on her life and she never quite realized how much of an impact it was until he left.

He had become a support system for her; always there when she was annoyed at little things, to amuse her when she needed a break from work, and he understood her on a level she never quite felt with anyone before. Maybe it was because he looked at her for everything that she was-not an assistant, a daughter, or a girl in the background. Or at least that's what she thought until his little speech that crushed her. He knew she was angry; hell, she was angry too, but his words struck deep, and the fact that he couldn't understand her pain hurt even more.

Jane made every effort she could to make Darcy happy, but everywhere she went was a reminder of Loki. Their favorite pizzeria, his failure at ice skating in Rockefeller Center, and every movie she watched, she wondered if he would enjoy it too.

Needless to say, when Fury returned he told Darcy that she was fired from the team, only devastating her further, but she understood and explained to him what had happened. He said that although she was fired from the team, it didn't mean she was fired from SHIELD so she continued to work under Jane as her secretary again. It was much more lax than their work on the bridge, so Darcy found no comfort in delving herself into her work.

It worried her how broken she felt. It wasn't like they dated, but she couldn't help but think that his kind actions and words meant that he cared for her more than a friend. She knew now that it probably didn't, seeing as he completely disappeared and the only reminder she had of him were the pictures in her apartment and phone, and the items he had bought for her.

After a month of moping and getting drunk several times, Jane decided to send Darcy off to her father, hoping that he would be able to put some life back into her.

" _Darcy, what happened to you?"_

" _What do you mean? I'm still the same Darcy," She gave a fake smile. They were always close, but they had always avoided personal affairs; those types of conversations had always been left to her mom._

" _You look sick, sweetie. They working you hard at work?"_

" _Uh, yeah. Jane's been doing a lot of stuff, and she needed me to work overtime a bit. But I'm okay now, that's why I'm here."_

_He looked at her dubiously and shook his head. They were outside, basking in the Florida heat, waiting for the delivery boy to come._

" _I'm not complaining that you're here, Darce, I'm just worried. You called on such short notice and you sounded worn down. And looking at you now, I have a reason to worry."_

_Darcy rolled her eyes and reclined on her beach chair. "I'm fineeee. Been stressed, but it's all good now."_

" _What happened to that man I met at mom's funeral?"_

_She swallowed, hoping to play off as dumb. "What man?"_

" _Darcy." He gave her a long look beneath his glasses._

" _What? There were a lot of men at the funeral."_

" _Your very dapper friend who wouldn't leave your side, Darce."_

_She swallowed again. "Oh. Him." Her dad continued to look at her, waiting for more. "He's doing well," she added quickly, looking around for the delivery car, hoping it would come soon. She was a terrible liar even though she hung out with the God of Lies for the past couple years._

" _It was very nice of him to fly all the way from New York to comfort you."_

" _Yeah." She twiddled her thumbs and looked to the side, pleading for the delivery guy to come soon. She wasn't planning on having this conversation with her dad, he wasn't even supposed to know that Loki was in her life—she doubted he would approve of her hanging out with the man who tried to take over their world._

" _Did anything happen between you two?"_

_Darcy tensed, and looked nervously at him. "We were—I mean…We never did-It's not what you think!" She practically yelled, earning an amused glance from her dad._

" _You're not getting any younger, and I expect some grandkids soon before I clock out of this world," He said with humor sparkling in his eyes, making Darcy's eyes bug out._

" _Well you're going to have to wait a bit longer," she said, and she got up to move since their food was here._

After her trip to Florida, she felt rejuvenated and ready to go back to work, much to Jane's relief. Gone were the days of moping around, and she even went out by herself to explore the city to do some soul searching. While soul searching was unsuccessful, she learned how to live post-Loki, and things resumed back to normal. Or as normal as working in a secret organization could get.

The day  _it_  happened was completely unexpected, but then again, most things in her life were. She was working as usual when the bright beam of light appeared. She assumed it was Thor returning from Asgard, but the swarm of SHIELD agents signaled otherwise.

_When Darcy saw her face, she couldn't believe something that perfect could exist. She looked ethereal and flawless to the point where it was discomforting. Clothed in white with silver jewelry, and pointed ears, she was pretty sure that this was a light elf from Alfheim._

_She stepped from the pedestal that connected the machine, looking confused, but not frightened. She dipped her head. "Greetings. I am Karliah [1] of Alfheim, sent as an ambassador for negotiations between our people." Her voice was smooth and rang like a silver bell._

" _Pleased to meet you, Karliah. I am Nick Fury of SHIELD, the organization behind this bridge."_

_Karliah looked around nervously as she was taken to a private room so they could talk, while Darcy stood on the side lines, gawking at her silk-like hair._

_It was during her lunch break when she ran into Karliah, who was having trouble with the soup dispenser in the cafeteria._

" _You pull it downward." Darcy said, approaching her with a box of salad in hand._

_Karliah pulled the lever gently, releasing tomato soup into the large cup she placed beneath. "Thank you." She said softly and Darcy handed her a spoon since she didn't seem to have one._

" _No problem and hey—do you mind if I sit with you?" The elf blinked, but nodded as she made her way to an empty table by the window._

" _I'm Darcy; human." She extended a hand between bites of salad and Karliah looked at her in confusion._

" _You shake it. It's kind of our way of greeting one another here."_

" _Oh." So she shook it awkwardly, looking back down at her soup. For an ambassador, she was pretty shy, Darcy thought, quietly observing her. Her hair was down to her waist and tendrils of it were sprawled across the table, getting into the soup._

" _You might want to use this," Darcy handed her a spare hair tie from her purse. "It's a scrunchie; you tie your hair up with it. It's getting in your soup you know."_

_Looking embarrassed, Karliah waved her hand, releasing a bit of light at her fingertips and her hair was impeccable once again._

_Open mouthed, Darcy exclaimed, "Wow, that's pretty amazing! I had a friend who did magic and…" She drifted off, not wanting to complete the thought, but Karliah piqued her eyes in wonder._

" _Thor," She said quickly. "You'll probably meet him. He summons lightning."_

" _The man of thunder," Karliah noted, nodding. "I have heard of him since he is the future ruler of Asgard."_

" _Yeah, his fiancé is from here. She's the one who built the bridge connecting your worlds."_

" _Ah." Silence. Darcy was good at filling conversation, so she continued, hoping to learn more about her._

" _So how do you like it here on…I assume you call it Midgard too?"_

_Karliah nodded. "This is my first time here; my people spoke of it, but that was centuries ago. I imagine it has changed much since then, seeing as you built this bridge."_

_Grinning, "Yeah, we've changed a lot in the past few hundred years. Hey, if you're not busy later, we should definitely hang out. You're in New York—one of the most lively cities here on Earth, and there's so much to do. It's like getting a taste of every culture in one city."_

_Tilting her head to the side, Karliah gave a small smile. "I would like that."_

They became friends in the short time Karliah stayed. Even though she was from a different realm, Darcy supposed that some things were universal like shopping, and she was right. After giving her a brief tour of the city, they went to Macy's to buy some normal clothing for her, and Karliah was ecstatic with childlike wonder. Apparently she was always interested in other realms as a child, which was uncommon for an elf, but she pursued it and jumped on her chance to visit Earth. For her, this was a dream come true.

Darcy supposed she had a habit of befriending alien creatures, but she didn't mind. Karliah was sweet, similar to Jane, and much quieter than Darcy. Even though Karliah wore her native clothing to SHIELD meetings, she always changed when Darcy invited her to go out and found her always looking for ways to immerse herself into their culture. She was confused about electricity (reminding Darcy a lot of Captain America when he started getting adjusted) and cars and buses, leaving Darcy to explain everything to her. By the time she had to go, she was an almost expert with a notebook filled with observations. She was sad to see her go, but Karliah reassured her that they would meet again in the future, and if Darcy was ever in Alfheim she should "Hit her up," using a phrase Darcy taught her.

It was a week later Darcy was called to Coulson's office, making Darcy wonder what she had done this time.

" _Karliah said you were extremely helpful during her stay here."_

_Darcy shrugged. "I guess. I showed her around a lot and she was eager to learn more, so it was easy."_

" _Miss Lewis, I have another job offer for you. Even though your ambassador job didn't work out like we planned," Darcy visibly flinched a bit at that, but he continued with a softened look. "Your skills with the extraterrestrial are exceptional. What we have planned in the future requires an influx of them, and Karliah was only the beginning. Fury expects a dwarf here soon, and in all honesty, we are not prepared for that at all other than the political notes we want to run by him."_

_She blinked. "So…What you're saying is, you want me to be like a tour guide for the aliens?"_

_Coulson smiled. "Tour guide is rather informal, but that is the idea. Ease them into Earth, because many of them want to stay at least a week to get a feel for us. The job itself is pretty informal, but Fury thinks it's a good idea and necessary, if we want to make a good impression."_

_Darcy was having a sense of déjà vu, remembering the last time she was called to Coulson's office for a job. Except this time…Well, she certainly didn't know what to make of it, but if she could help out in any way, she wanted to be part._

" _Yeah, sure. I'm actually really interested in all of their cultures, so it'll be fun for me too."_

Even though she technically had a new job, Darcy didn't stop working for Jane. The tour guide thing was only when they had an ambassador visit, and they had about two every month. It was fascinating, to say the least. While not all of them were as receptive as Karliah, they were intrigued and Darcy was more than happy to answer their questions and listen to their stories.

She couldn't help but wonder what Loki would think of her new standing. Would he be proud? Laugh? Or be worried? Darcy knew she was dealing with powerful beings even if they didn't show it. Dwarves had magic that they laced into their craftsmanship, and elven magic was more powerful than she dared comprehend.

But she was happy. It was satisfying hearing a hearty goodbye from one of her new friends, and many even gave her gifts, like the dwarf who fashioned a beautiful necklace for her.

The taxi pulled up at the SHEILD building, so she handed the driver some money and walked in, waving to the secretary at the front counter. It was going to be a slow day, since no one would be visiting until next month, so she concentrated on Jane's latest experiment.

"Hey." She sat down in her cubicle, and a familiar blonde man in glasses greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

Oh, did she mention she managed to pick up a boyfriend in the last two months too? His name is Marcus, and they were taking it slow. Turns out he was eyeing her for the past year, but finally managed to work up enough guts to talk to her when she was running papers down to the computer department where he worked.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't a god or superhuman wielding powers, but he was simple. No family complications, no red on his ledger; he graduated MIT a few years ago, and SHIELD picked him up after a nice performance in one of their scouting missions. And not to mention he was pretty cute too. He treated her with respect, and she realized she really missed having a boyfriend since her last serious one was in college and that ended with a mutual breakup.

Even though she secretly hoped that her new boyfriend would help push Loki from her mind, she couldn't help but compare them even though she and Loki never actually dated. All of Marcus' sweet gestures never seemed to match up to Loki's subtle, but caring displays of affection, even if they were only meant with friendly intentions. And his humor—It was almost painfully geeky, and he didn't always understand Darcy's strange wit or sarcastic comments, but that was usually overshadowed by their make out sessions.

All in all, their relationship was comfortable, and she had no complaints, so why the heck not?

"Hey," she replied back, and he set a hazelnut coffee on her desk.

"Morning," He said cheekily and Darcy looked at the coffee cup embarrassingly and pushed it back towards him.

"I'm actually allergic to hazelnut, but thanks." The smile from Marcus' face fell, looking sheepish.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry. Of all the flavors I had to pick, of course I pick the one you're allergic to. I'll run down to Starbucks and get you another."

"No no, it's okay. You should get to work before everyone else starts getting here. I'll go ask Jane if she wants anything so I have an excuse to leave." She smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips, earning a smile from him too.

"Alright," he said, and made his way out, but he turned around. "Dinner tonight?"

"Sure. Surprise me," she replied with a wink.

Darcy walked down to Starbucks that was on the opposite corner of the SHIELD building. Jane said she was in the mood for a cinnamon latte, and Darcy was also in the mood for something warm and perhaps a snack to nibble on while she was working.

It was still raining, but not to the point where she would need an umbrella. The light flashed, signaling that it was okay to walk, but as soon as her foot left the sidewalk, she slipped, and a taxi nearly ran into her. Screaming, sure that the taxi was about to kill her, the taxi's engine blew and it veered off as if it made contact with an invisible wall. Eyes wide, Darcy was helped up by a man, and the crowd started forming.

"Did it hit her?" She heard a woman ask, and she saw others trying to figure out how the taxi could have possibly slid to the other side of the street like that.

"Must be the rain," said another, but Darcy knew that it could have only been caused by magic. Trying to get a hold of her bearings, she thanked the man who helped her up and ran towards Starbucks, trying to brush all thoughts of magic out of the way. After all, there was no one visiting from any of the realms now, and Thor wasn't around.

Dizzy with adrenaline, Darcy shook her head, casting another look at the taxi. There was no way.

* * *

Loki stepped from the gardens with a bouquet of Gildergreen [2] in his hands, and looked at it hopefully. The tree it came from was known for its healing qualities, but it was also quite beautiful. It was nearly sunset in Asgard, and he could see the light hit the Bifrost, making it illuminate and cast off a multitude of colors.

Breathing, he began to concentrate. He hasn't ventured to Earth in a very long time, so the feeling was strange, but familiar to him as he disappeared from the garden and into the hallway of Darcy's apartment. He took in the surroundings; it looked to be about winter time with the holiday decorations that adorned some of the doors and welcome mats. He noticed Darcy's lacked these things, and he waited patiently at the door, flowers in hand.

After months of moping, he finally resolved to do away with his pride and stubbornness and tell her that he was sorry. Whether she would accept that was ultimately up to her, and even though he still believed that it was best that he was out of her life, he felt that an apology was still in order.

While he never tried to scry her before he left, he casted magical enchantments to protect her from any physical forces that would try to harm her. It was by no means powerful; she could very well fall down the stairs and break something (And knowing her, that was entirely possible), but anything extreme, she would be protected from. And on some occasions he felt his magic stirring, worrying him, but if anything had happened to her, he was sure Thor would let him know.

"….Really? You've never seen the ball drop in Times Square and you've been living here for at least three years?" Loki's heart pounded, realizing that that was Darcy's voice being carried down the hallway. She seemed to be talking to someone else, so he listened attentively, shifting his position against the wall.

"Yeah, pretty weird, right? I guess I never saw the appeal of standing out in the cold for a couple of hours just to see a ball drop. I never had anyone to share the moment with, though."

He stiffened. It was a male voice that was talking to her. Making himself invisible, he shrouded himself against the window, and watched Darcy come up the stairs with a blonde man, arm wrapped around her waist.

"Well, I guess you'll have someone this year." Darcy grinned cheekily and pulled down on the man's collar for a kiss, to which the man responded with great zeal. She fumbled for her key as they continued, and she hastily opened the door and shut it, leaving Loki absolutely stunned.

He dropped the flowers at the door of her apartment and whisked himself back to Asgard in a torrent of emotions.

Finding himself in his room, he lashed out in anger, causing the flames that illuminated his room to erupt violently. He found a golden cup on one of the tables and threw it against the wall, but it didn't break.

 _Can gods get drunk?_  She had asked him long ago.

No, but he wished to All-father that he could right now. Tears started to spring from his eyes, and he realized that he had not cried when they fought—No, he was angrier with himself that night, and the rest of the days that followed that day consisted of him wallowing in his regret and anguish. So why the tears now?

He felt a jab of rejection, even though there had never been a choice in the first place. Or maybe he felt  _replaced_. Yes, that was it. Replaced. Forgotten.

But what was she supposed to do? A voice said to him inside his head. He left her with no way to contact him even if she did want to say something, and she wasn't the one to ask someone like Thor for help in such a personal matter.

So it was his fault—his fault that he let her slip away so easily into the arms of another. But it seemed she found greater satisfaction with this new man than she ever had with him.

With another yell of rage, the flames sparked again, and a knock on the door sounded.

With a wave of his hand, everything outside became muffled and he made sure that his confusion spell was strong. No one would bother him because they wouldn't remember to.

Opening a drawer, he found his collection of pictures from Midgard and he held a flame in the palm of his hand. It would be so easy to burn these pictures. Erase her appearance from his mind, and maybe then he would forget about her. He picked up their first picture; the one they had taken together in the photo booth at Coney Island, and he noticed how uncomfortable he looked, but Darcy looked perfectly at ease. Yes, this was the beginning, so he would erase it. He lowered the flame to touch the corner of the picture, but he halted.

He couldn't, he realized with disdain, dropping the picture back into the drawer and putting out the flame. Even if he did burn all the pictures, he would never forget her face, her voice, or the way her body felt against his during the cold winter nights they watched movies.

And he would never forget the feeling when she first saw him in his Jotunn form. The incredulity in her eyes not because he was blue, but because he made such a big deal out of it.

When they woke up that day, arms still wrapped around each other, he was sure that it was all a dream and that he was still on the boat, waiting to tell her. But it wasn't. She looked at him like she always did, even asking questions as she trailed her finger down the markings on his face.

And she even said that he would make a great companion in the summer nights. "Less money on air condition," she joked, as she snuggled up closer to him with just their clothing keeping them apart.

The memories he longed to shut out poured in again.

 _They_ had seen the ball drop together. Loki never noticed the passage of time, and he wondered why humans turned a new year into a holiday.

" _It's a fresh start. A new beginning," Darcy said as they stood out in the cold. She was layered with a scarf, mittens, ear muffs, and a puffy jacket while Loki stood there looking perfectly at ease in his business jacket. He offered to warm her with magic, but she said she was fine even though she was shivering and standing very close to him._

" _But if someone wanted to, as you humans put, 'Turn over a new leaf,' why not choose any day? You shouldn't need a day to tell you when you can start over."_

_Darcy tapped her finger against her chin. "I think people need that type of thing, though. It gives you an extra push to really achieve what you want. It's a metaphor when we say we're going to start new, but when the world really is starting again, it's as if everyone is trying to at the same time, and that thought in itself is pretty awesome and it gives people hope."_

_Loki moved to the side to avoid being smothered by a group of teenagers who were waiting excitedly. He looked at Darcy, who was bouncing on her feet to warm herself. "I suppose that makes sense. What is your resolution, then?"_

_She stopped bouncing. "Hm. I guess to wake up on time more often so I don't have to feel rushed while going to work," she laughed, and the chill in the air made her breath visible._

" _What about you? Any resolutions for the new year?"_

_He shook his head. "I don't think so; I haven't changed much in the past hundred years, and I'm not about to start now."_

" _Well that's a lie," Darcy replied bluntly, looking at him. His brows furrowed in confusion, telling her to continue._

" _You've changed a lot—for the better." She waved her hands nonsensically into the air. "Like what about now? Did you ever picture this happening? Being friends with me, doing human things?" She emphasized human, knowing that he still looked down upon them, but he has been trying to replace his condescension with curiosity._

" _Yes, that is true." He gazed off into the distance, listening to the loud music and hustle of the crowd._

" _And you're not trying to take over the world. That's a huge improvement if I do say so myself," a smile crawled up on her face, and he had to laugh at that._

" _Fine. I have changed, but I don't wait once a year to do it." Darcy shrugged and took his hand in her gloved one._

" _One minute to go," she breathed excitedly._

"… _And let's have a word from our sponsors. This has been brought to you by Nivea: For your special New Year's kiss." A picture of chapstick flashed on the screen, with a couple holding it reverently._

" _What's a New Year's kiss?" Loki asked. They had spent New Year's together before at parties, but that topic had never come up and he assumed people kissed in celebration like one would on opening a gift._

" _Oh." Darcy blushed, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or if the topic was embarrassing. "It's a tradition. The first person you meet in the New Year is supposed to set the tone for the rest of it. It's considered bad luck if you don't kiss your special someone."_

_He opened his mouth to say something, but it was quickly trodden by the screams of the crowd counting down._

"… _.One!"_

" _HAPPY NEW YEAR!" And confetti began to fall from the sky and everyone started dancing, hugging, and kissing. Darcy was smiling as she looked up at him._

" _Happy New Year!" She screamed, throwing her arms into the air, while trying to catch the confetti. It landed in her hair, and in a quick stride, he took her by the waist and kissed her cheek._

" _Happy New Year to you too," he murmured into her ear so she could hear. She gave an eep at being swept up so suddenly, so he put her down, looking satisfied._

She must be creating new memories with this man, he thought sullenly. Dashing out the lights, he fell onto his bed and conjured up some ale. Even if he couldn't get drunk, he could at least try. He took a swig and let the darkness engulf him.

* * *

"What do you think about this dress?" Jane pulled a red chiffon from the rack.

Darcy blinked away from her thoughts and went over to examine the dress. "Eh. It goes with your theme, but don't you think it looks too…Young?"

"Yeah, you're right. I should go with something older, but elegant." So Jane whisked herself back to the racks of dresses while Darcy picked at them with little interest.

"It's a shame Marcus couldn't make it," Jane called from underneath all the fabric. Darcy shrugged, honestly not caring much.

"I guess."

"Everything okay between you guys? You don't talk about him that much."

"Mmm, everything is fine. Nothing's happened." And that was the problem. Nothing happened between them. Their conversations were boring to her, and even when they went out, Darcy found herself spacing, never quite remembering what they were talking about in the first place. The honey moon phase passed between them, but she hated to admit that she was with him merely out of comfort.

"Has he said anything to you about the future? Seems like he's pretty serious."

Her stomach sunk. "No…We don't really talk too much about that." She felt guilty whenever he suggested moving in, or vice versa, and she dodged the topic like wildfire. He was more emotionally invested in the relationship than she was, but they never liked to acknowledge it.

"Darce?" Jane poked her head from the dresses and sat down on the floral ottoman with a sigh. "You're going to kill me, and I'm technically asking for your permission first but….I need a favor."

Darcy moved to sit next to Jane, and looked at her quizzically. "What's up?"

Biting her lip, Jane folded her hands together and looked to the side. "Well, Thor and I were thinking about what we want to do after the wedding, like after the nuptials, and I thought it'd be really cool if we had all the bridesmaids and groomsmen dance with us like a ball type of thing. It wouldn't be fancy, just a small waltz, and then everyone else would join in."

Still confused, Darcy replied with an "Okay…" But Jane was squirming nervously in her seat.

"And the pairings would be according to each date, but since Marcus isn't going to be there, the only guy left without a partner is…"

The color from Darcy's face drained a bit as she responded quietly, "Loki."

Jane nodded, looking apologetically at her. "I mean, I could ask if any of the guys would mind switching, but I really think it'd look nicer if they were with their respective girlfriends or wives, but I know how hard it was for you and I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation."

"Jane, it's fine. I can suck up a bit of dancing with him for your wedding." She forced a smile for Jane who breathed a sigh of relief, not expecting such a simple reaction.

"Oh thank goodness." She threw her arms around Darcy.

They continued to sift through dresses, with Darcy lost in thought, nodding when she liked something and shaking her head when she didn't.

It had almost been a year since their fight; he had not tried to contact her at all, and people rarely spoke of him around her. It wasn't like they dated, but all of SHIELD knew what happened after the drama she caused by not showing up on the launch date and gossip began to swirl around.

She had casually mentioned to Marcus that her and Loki used to be really good friends, but that ended after he tried to lock her in her own apartment, which he knew all about. He admitted sheepishly that that was the reason he never tried to talk to her before—He thought her and Loki were together.

Darcy laughed it off, putting him at ease, but she wondered if that's what it looked like to everyone else.

Would he pretend not to know her? She was just as stubborn as he was, she knew that for a fact, and if neither of them made a move to talk to each other, she was fine giving him the silent treatment.

The what-if situations kept bouncing around in her brain until Jane found a dress she liked and wanted Darcy to try on, so she hurried herself into a changing room, dreading the day of the wedding.

* * *

"No."

"Brother, please. This day is important to Jane; therefore it's important to me. No one is closer to my heart than you, so it is only fitting that you be my "best man" as the mortals put it."

"You're having a wedding in Asgard anyway. I will attend that for sure."

"But this is different! It will have all of our—"

"Your," Loki corrected, and Thor sighed.

"My friends," he amended and continued. "The ceremony is not too different than ours. There will be dancing, feasting, and Jane spoke of interesting traditions that will be taking place. Please," he begged again.

Loki pursed his lips. "Is it really that important to you?"

"Yes, very much. Jane wants to experience all the human traditions she can before her duties are needed by Asgard."

Loki grumbled. He could not say no to Thor since Thor asked so little of him, and he made an extra effort to give Loki space this past year even though he was worried.

"Very well." Thor smiled with glee, but Loki cleared his throat. "However, I am only coming on the day of your wedding. No pre-visits, is that understood?"

"That is fine! Thank you!" Thor picked his brother up and hugged him tight, making Loki slightly horrified as he demanded to be put down. Thor gave a booming laugh.

"There is another thing." Loki looked at Thor skeptically, not liking where this was going. "You will have to dance with Darcy," Loki's eyes darkened instantly, making Thor take a step back, but held his hands up in mock surrender. "It was Jane's idea," he added, as if it would make it better.

"Pray, what was Jane's idea?" He asked menacingly, and Thor swore he could feel the wind pick up around them even though it was usually him who could control the weather.

"Well…She wanted to dance after we said our vows. I'm not quite sure what it is for, but she was excited about it."

"I see." Loki turned his back to Thor, looking at the sky on the balcony they were currently standing on. "What about her boyfriend? Did he not wish to dance with her?"

Thor looked visibly surprised, unaware that Loki knew Darcy had a boyfriend. "Jane said that he would be out of town on the day of our wedding."

In truth, Thor wished that his brother would return to Midgard and apologize to Darcy. He had been moping around the palace for months, doing nothing but work as far as he knew, and scared most of the servants after violently shut himself in his room one day. Thor knew little of what happened other than from what Jane told him; Loki refused to talk to him about it, but he knew that Loki regretted his actions.

"Ah." Loki said, and Thor took that as a dismissal, but he had to ask.

"Will you still come?"

Loki turned to face him. "I will keep my word."

"Excellent." Thor left, leaving Loki alone to think on the balcony.

Loki ran a hand through his hair. So Darcy would be alone, he ruminated, and let it sit in his mind. Would he apologize? Or would she even want to talk to him? Darcy was terribly stubborn, but she would listen to reason even if she didn't like to admit it. While he wished he could leave her alone, even if he truly thought it was in her best interest, the twist in his heart said otherwise.

But the question then became:  _could_ he apologize? Could he get over this idea that she was better off without him? It was completely selfish on his part—she seemed content with whoever her boyfriend was. Maybe he made her much happier than Loki ever did. He doubted that the boy could be any more complicated than him, and he was  _human_  which was indisputably safer.

Maybe, he thought with a sudden epiphany, that he should let her decide. If she wanted him back into her life, she would say so; after all, Darcy wasn't the type to keep her feelings to herself unless she had a good reason to, which was one of the many qualities he enjoyed about her in contrast to himself.

Her emotions were always carefully etched upon her face. It was easy to trust someone who was clearly themself with no hidden agenda or ulterior motive. And when she made her choice, maybe he would finally be able to let go once and for all.

* * *

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2018_

"DARCYYYY!"

Darcy turned around in confusion to see Jane in a bustle of skirts and veil, looking around anxiously. Pepper had just finished zipping up Darcy's red dress and Pepper was currently standing in front of Darcy waiting to be zipped.

Jane had gone with a red and gold theme (to match Thor's outfit, as she adorably put, but it reminded Darcy more of Gryffindor's colors), and she was the classic bride in white with a soft, but elegant dress that made a statement with its subtle details.

"Jane, calm down! Don't ruin your makeup." She zipped up Pepper, who was also trying to console Jane.

"Breathe! Don't ruin your moment by fainting down the aisle," Pepper chided, but hugged her sympathetically. Jane took a few deep breaths.

"Were you nervous, Pepper? I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, I was so nervous with the whole guest list, I don't have a very big family, and Thor's couldn't exactly come from Asgard, but his mother wanted to visit, I hope she's okay getting along with everyone, and Erik said he's never done anything like this before, but he volunteered to walk me down the aisle—"

"JANE!" Darcy and Pepper shouted together, making Jane stop and breathe again.

"Erik will be fine; he's just not great in front of people. He really loves you and won't disappoint you on your big day," Darcy said reassuringly. Jane's dad had passed away when she was a teenager, and Erik was like a second father to her since her dad and he were colleagues in the university they had worked at.

"And to answer your question, no, I wasn't. I was sure of Tony even though he can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I knew he was the only one I wanted to be with. You feel the same way about Thor, don't you?" Jane nodded meekly and accepted a cup of water from Darcy.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Now come on, let's not keep everyone waiting." Pepper helped Jane up and pulled the veil over eyes.

"You look beautiful, Jane. Really." Darcy beamed at her, and Jane smiled back with reassurance. Darcy couldn't believe where they were right now—marrying the guy she hit and tasered, only to learn that he was the God of Thunder. Life had a funny way of working, she determined, still in awe at her own circumstances.

Canon in D sounded, signaling that they should all take their places, so Darcy gave Jane a small squeeze and bounded away, excited.

She had been caught up in wedding excitement for the past week, she had almost forgotten that Loki would be in town for the day, making her stomach a bit queasy. She had to push those thoughts away, though. It was Jane's day, and she couldn't do anything to ruin it.

The procession began, and she took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm. She was the maid of honor, so a smile was needed, but she found that she didn't need to fake it.

Loki stood awkwardly next to Thor, who was beaming as he looked at their guests. The other Avengers were situated on his other side, some looking uncomfortable, like Hawkeye, while others like Captain America aka, Steve Rogers, looked just as happy as Thor. He had whispered to Clint, "I love weddings," earning an eye roll from Tony Stark, who was drinking in the attention he garnered from Jane's relatives.

"I'm surprised you found a suit that fits you," He jested to Thor. Thor just smiled and said that Tony had it custom made for him.

The music sounded and the bridal procession began, with the flower girl who was apparently one of Jane's nieces. Then the bridesmaids started to walk in, with Darcy leading as the maid of honor. Loki sucked in a breath, taking her in.

If it was possible, she had gotten more beautiful since the last time he saw her, and the smile she wore was stunning. Her chestnut hair fell loosely along her back, she seemed to have grown it out since the last time he saw her. He ached to run from where he was standing and tell her that he was sorry and hold her, but respect for Thor kept him from doing that.

She looked at him, and for a moment, she lost her composure and simply stared and he smiled in return, while she continued to move forward and take her place. He couldn't stop staring, but to his disdain, she looked away as Jane began to descend down the aisle. It pained him to tear his gaze away, but he supposed he owed the bride his veneration since she was marrying his brother.

Jane clung onto Erik's arm, looking like a nervous wreck, but met eyes with Thor, who was grinning ear to ear. A full bloomed smile came onto her features, and she began to walk more quickly down the aisle, making Erik uncomfortable, but nevertheless happy.

The vows seemed to go on forever, but for Thor's sake, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and tried to look at Darcy while he waited, but she seemed engrossed in the ceremony and even caught a few tears from her face. Pepper was in the back, nearly sobbing but someone got her a tissue before it could get that far. What was it with women and crying at weddings?

"…And you may kiss the bride," The priest declared, and Thor picked Jane up with fervent excitement and lifted the veil and gave a long kiss. The crowd erupted into clapping and cheers and even some wolf whistling from Tony's part. Thor placed Jane back down, but they didn't let go of each other.

The mass began to move to the indoor area where dinner was to be served, and the bridal party held back for what Jane had planned. Thor had explained briefly to him that they would dance for a short segment and then they would proceed to dinner and free dancing and some "traditions" as Thor put it. Thor held Jane close, while each of the ladies took their respective partners. Darcy looked awkwardly off to the side, sneaking a glance at him with an uncomfortable expression.

After wiping away a few tears, Darcy composed herself and straightened out the non-existent wrinkles in her dress. When she walked in, she wasn't sure of what her reaction would be when she saw Loki. After all, it was a wedding, and of course he would be happy for his brother, but she  _knew_  he was looking at her and only her when she came down the aisle. His look was filled with wonder, like she was a prize to be won, but unattainable. When he caught their eyes meeting, he gave that infuriating smirk, but she continued to stare.

It wasn't fair that the first time she had to see him in a year he was wearing a tuxedo of all things. With his black hair slicked back in a devilish messy way, it was hard to keep her hormones in check and remind herself that she had a loving boyfriend.

A loving boyfriend that wasn't here right now, her mind offered, but she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at Loki.  _He_ locked her up.  _He_ ran off to another realm so she couldn't contact him. Not that she would have been the first to call anyway, she knew she was right, but he never even gave her the chance.

So when he stepped towards her, hand extended like he was a prince, the only thing she could say was a simple "Hi." He smiled like the sun was shining in him, and he took her arm and led her into the dining hall where they were to dance.

Jane and Thor led, with some amendments to Jane's dress to allow her to move better, but it reminded her a lot of Beauty and the Beast with Jane's small frame and Thor's huge one.

"I'm not a very good dancer," she said, mimicking the words she said to him long ago, but he only grinned and replied, "You'll be fine if you have a good lead, and it's your lucky day because I am one."

The music was a cheesy classical waltz that Jane picked out, and they wordlessly danced, as people looked at them with admiration. He wasn't at the wedding rehearsal, so she wondered how he knew all the steps, but he spun her effortlessly and she fell into his arms like they had never been apart. It seemed almost too easy, she thought sardonically, to be swayed the moment he comes back, so for the minute they danced, she pretended like they were still friends; sharing secrets, laughing at people behind their backs, and finding amusement in boring things.

The audience started clapping, signaling the end of their dance and they began to make their way back to their seats, but Loki pulled her aside into a vacant room.

He let go of her hand gently as he looked off to the side and Darcy waited for him to say something, because she sure wasn't going to.

"Darcy, I…" He turned to look at her, struggling for words. He thought about this moment for a long time, and he always thought he knew the right thing to say, but right now, he wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry," he said almost inaudibly, but enough for her to hear. She raised an eyebrow; he guessed that she was expecting this after he led her away from the wedding.

Walking closer to him, he thought she was going to say something from the pain staked look in her eye, but she swung her arm and him across the face. He fell back a bit in surprise, but he noticed that she was starting to cry and she hastily got a tissue that was on an end table.

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner, you asshole!" She dabbed her eyes. "Jane's gonna kill me if I ruin my makeup—she paid for actual makeup artists, you know." He didn't, actually, since he gave little thought to cosmetics, but he let her continue.

"Do you know how much it hurt to not even be able to contact you?! And  _everyone_ avoided your name like it was the plague, but I knew that you ran away to Asgard and you never bothered to come back like a coward."

Well, that hurt, but he supposed he deserved it. He was far too busy taking her in again, realizing that his memories utterly failed to capture her essence; she was much livelier than he remembered, and he remembered his fondness for her babbling even if it didn't always make sense.

"And you think  _sorry_  can make up for everything? I was fired when Fury came back, but lucky me was able to get another job. Turns out being friends with aliens have its perks." She breathed heavily, still trying to stop herself from crying, but before she could say anything else, he pulled her into a hug.

"No, I don't think sorry can make up for everything. I was in the wrong the entire time, Darcy. You are absolutely not an insignificant pebble to me—if it makes you feel any better, I think you're more of a boulder." She choked back a sob, but didn't return his hug.

"I shouldn't have kept you in your apartment that day, but you must understand that I was worried about you. I think you heard what happened in Svartalfheim …You could have been hurt. I now know I went about it in completely the wrong way, and yes, I was scared-no  _terrified_  of returning because I didn't want to interfere in your life more than I already have. But I'm abandoning my instincts for now, because  _I miss you_. I miss spending time with you, I don't care what we're doing, we could be looking at paint dry, and it would still be fun because I'm with you."

All-father, now  _he_ was babbling, but he didn't know what to say to make her understand. He drew in a breath to keep going, but she returned his hug gently.

As she leaned her head into his chest, she said quietly, "I knew you were worried about me." She withdrew her head and looked up at him. "You were always there protecting me, even though you weren't actually here. I know magic when I see it. I guess…Well, I can't stay mad at someone who cares about me that much." She gave him another squeeze. "And I missed you too. I missed my best friend."

Loki's smile could have lit up all of the nine realms when he heard that, and he pulled her in for another hug. A weight that he had not realized existed had been lifted from his heart, and in that moment, everything did feel right in the world.

They released each other, and Darcy hit him lightly on the shoulder, looking playful. "But if you  _ever_  talk to me like that again, you're not running back to Asgard. No, you'll be punished Darcy Lewis style."

He laughed, missing their banter. "And what does that consist of?"

"Oh, the usual. You'd be forced to stay here while we awkwardly run into each other at work while trying to avoid each other, but I give you the silent treatment until you're down on your knees begging for forgiveness."

Scoffing, but with humor in his eyes, he replied, "You silly mortal. I kneel for no one."

"Watch it, buddy," she said.

"By the way, what's with calling me a boulder? Are you calling me fat? Because I can testify I lost weight after you left."

He chuckled. "I merely meant that you are an unmovable forced swayed by no opinions." She rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling as she pulled on him to go back to the reception.

"Oh, and in order to make this apology official, you'll have to do the Macarena for me."

"Is that some sort of Midgardian dish?" He asked wistfully, not minded being tugged on.

"Nope. Much worse." And she threw him onto the dance floor with Thor and Jane and the rest of the party. Jane shot Darcy a wink and smiled, and she stuck her tongue out at Jane. She was so dead, she thought, realizing Jane's little scheme after Steve said he didn't know the girl who he would be dancing with.

"Okay, so start with your arms faced upwards like this…" And she began to guide Loki in the Macarena, looking foolish, but a smile didn't leave either of their faces as they wiggled their hips. Only a wedding could reduce all of The Avengers and Loki to ten year olds.

Loki realized that even though life often melded together to the point where he could care less about what happened two months ago, he saw that his life was defined by events. Everything seemed like a blur until the day Odin told him he was adopted, and that escalated to him trying to take over Midgard. And after a mind numbing year of disquietude, he ran into Darcy Lewis who turned his life upside down, but not in the way where you notice it at once. It wasn't a ground breaking discovery, it wasn't even supposed to happen by most people's standards. But it did, and he found himself not regretting any of it. Well, maybe he would have changed the way he acted a year ago, but he cast away his previous thoughts of damaging her life.

She was happy, and she accepted him back with good humor, something he considered, but never wanted to imagine all the way in fear of dreaming too far.

And now this was another event to add to his timeline-when Darcy accepted Loki back into her life.

"Loki, you have to put your arms on your hips and swing. If you just swing, you'll look stupid."

"I highly doubt that," but he acquiesced and put both his hands on his hips and swung comically to appease her.

Yes, life was good.

A photographer came up to him from the side and snapped a picture in mid-swing, with him looking a tad horrified, but stoked in concentration.

"For the wedding album," the photographer said, and Loki glared, but the photographer left before he could succumb to his look and delete it.

Karma was a bitch, he surmised, and spun to the right for the next 'Macarena.'

* * *

"Everybody, get in line!" Jane called, bubbling with happiness and all the females in the room got up behind her on the dance floor. She held her bouquet in her hands, her back faced towards the gaggle of girls.

Loki noted with amusement that Darcy was on the edge, trying not to knock elbows with the others.

"What are they trying to do?" Loki asked Pepper, who was taking pictures adoringly.

"It's a tradition here; whoever catches the bouquet is supposed to get married next."

"You Midgardians have the strangest way of seeing into the future."

Pepper shrugged. "It's fun." And she resumed taking pictures, causing Loki to roll his eyes.

Jane launched the bouquet into the air, and the girls did an imitation of feeding time at the zoo, screeching and pulling for the insignificant bouquet of flowers.

"Watch out!" Someone cried, and Darcy broke out of whatever reverie she was trapped in and held her arms up to avoid being hit by anyone.

_Plop._

It was silent for a moment, but then it was replaced by clapping as Darcy held up the bouquet in surprise.

"I really hope this doesn't mean I'm getting married to Marcus," she shouted to Jane over the crowd.

Loki noticed with glee that the topic of her boyfriend came up briefly in the time they spent catching up, but she quickly avoided the topic, saying that it would make a boring conversation anyway. This only reaffirmed his thoughts that she wasn't too happy with her current relationship.

One step at a time, he cautioned himself, knowing that they were still trying to rebuild the bridge he burned.

"Hey Loki, it's our turn!" Steve Rogers called him over with a waving hand, polite as ever.

"THOR!" Jane yelled in surprise, as Thor threw the garter absentmindedly, too busy with excitement to concentrate on throwing it into the crowd of men.

…And it landed squarely in Loki's face, to most people's horror. He plucked the garment off, and started laughing. Maybe Midgardian traditions weren't as silly as he thought.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes:
> 
> 1: The name Karliah comes from Skyrim, a Dunmer in the Thieves Guild. I really love that game, so I thought I'd make a nod to it borrowing one of my favorite character's name.
> 
> 2: Gildergreen. Another plant from Skyrim, located in the heart of Whiterun.


	8. Chapter Seven

"You're going with him to Asgard?" Marcus asked nervously as they sat on the couch in Darcy's apartment.

She nodded as she fiddled with a lock of her hair. "I won't be gone for too long, like three days. Loki wants to show me around, and Jane will be there." She looked up from her hair twirling and into his eyes. "Is it a problem?"

"No…I miss you, though. Ever since Loki came back, you've been joined at the hip. I thought you were mad at him."

He was hurt, and a pang of guilt hit her.

Biting her lip, "I am. I mean, I was. But I missed him so much." Another upset look, only making her feel worse. "He's been trying really hard to make up for what he did."

"By taking you out to eat, giving you food before work and now he's taking you on vacation. Things that I should be doing." He swallowed. "Darcy, I know you usually wear your heart on your sleeve, but I think it's because you don't even know it yourself. Or maybe you do and you don't want to break a geek's heart," he laughed without humor, and she stared at him in confusion. He gave a pain staked smile.

"I know you have feelings for me, but I don't think what you feel is the same. Darcy…I love you."

Her throat began to tighten; this was the first time he said that. Her gaze drifted down into her lap, unable to look him in the eye.

"But I know you don't love me. Please, look at me. I'm not mad." His finger brushed under her chin and he tilted it upward.

"You're not?"

He gave another dry laugh. "No. I couldn't be mad at you. This past year has been heaven for me, and I'm privileged to even have the chance to date someone as amazing as you. I guess it was lucky for me that Loki decided to disappear for the year, but it didn't last. I always knew your heart belonged to someone else, but I never said anything because I hoped that he wouldn't come back and you would forget about him. But after seeing you two together, I now realize I never had a chance. It's hard to compete with a god." He was smiling, albeit, tears were starting to form.

"Marcus…Loki and I…We never did anything." Her face was crimson at his accusation. "We don't like each other like that. He just got back and we're still trying to fix our friendship." She took his hand. "I didn't cheat on you," she said quietly.

"I know you didn't."

"Then why are we breaking up because of Loki?" Her irritation was coming through, but she knew it was uncalled for. After all, she was planning on ending things because she knew she wasn't being fair to him. But she didn't want them to break up over Loki of all things, especially since he was now accusing her of being in love with him.

To her utter surprise, he started laughing. It wasn't even bitter, but genuine, as if the topic they were discussing was a joke.

"What?" She asked, incredulous. "How can you be laughing at a time like this?"

He stopped to her relief, and smiled. "You. It's so ironic."

She stared at him, with an expression begging him to explain.

"God, Darcy. You're one of the most upfront people I know, but you don't even realize your own feelings for the guy. I can't tell what it is—denial, fear, or what, but everyone can see it except you two."

She looked wide eyed at him, in shock and a bit hurt. "Stop. You can't go around making accusations like that when I've already told you I don't like him. Don't put the blame on Loki—can't you just say I've treated you like shit these past months and be done with it?"

"Darcy—" All traces of humor left Marcus' face.

"I'm sorry, okay?!" She shouted. "I'm sorry things haven't been working out between us, I'm sorry for not giving you enough attention, and I'm sorry that I got caught up in my stupid feelings and forgot my boyfriend. I don't deserve you, and I should have told you sooner that I haven't been as emotionally invested in our relationship as you were. I knew we had an expiration date, but I was too caught up in comfort to do anything."

Marcus pulled her into a hug to her surprise, but she embraced him hesitantly. "Our relationship had an expiration date, but that doesn't mean it wasn't beautiful," he said softly and released her.

"It's okay, Darcy. It really is. I want you to be happy, and if your happiness doesn't lie with me, it's something I'll have to accept."

"I never deserved you," she said and his lips quirked.

"No, we deserved each other." He checked his watch. "I think I should get going now. I'll see you at work, okay?" He got up to leave, but Darcy grabbed his arm and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." He smiled and gave her a mock salute as he made way for the door.

He shut the door, and Darcy curled herself into a ball even though she should be packing for Asgard for the next morning. She didn't cry; and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt relieved. Even though she and Marcus had been intimate for the past few months, after the honey moon stage passed, everything had become awkward, but neither of them wanted to say anything.

She  _wasn't_  in love with Loki, she told herself firmly. What did Marcus expect, anyway? Years of friendship meant more to her than one year of absence and they had to catch up. Throwing the covers over her head to shield herself away from the world, she dreaded tomorrow. There was no way she would be able to look him in the eye without feeling guilty.

* * *

Loki couldn't remember the last time he  _didn't_  plan anything out. Well, his life on Midgard was certainly unexpected, but even then, he knew what he was getting himself into. That is, until he met Darcy Lewis.

Life was made up of circumstances; from his adoption, to Thor's banishment, and his own foolishness, and even though those events were out of his control, he had a pretty good idea of the aftermath, or at the ideal outcome.

What he didn't know was that a night of too many drinks on Darcy's part, and the fateful turn of events that caused their paths to cross on his last day in Midgard, would be his alpha and omega.

His perception on life changed drastically, and it took him a few years to realize it, but he found he didn't mind at all. The thought was filled with humor than anything else—he went from trying to take over the world to wondering how long it would take for the nearest Chinese place to deliver. And even though he reveled in deep thought, the menial ponderings and chatter that filled his daily life gave him a sense of ease and it became a luxury that he began to appreciate. He didn't realize how much of his life was filled with chasing after his brother; treading in jealousy that he began to lose sight of himself. Yes, he was Loki Odinson, the God of Michief and Lies, wielder of magic, but he was also Thor's younger brother.

And for as long as he could remember, he felt that that was all people could see him as. The desire to be better than him, or even his equal, engulfed Loki to the point where that was all he was, and once given the power of the throne, he failed, once again realizing that he would never be Thor.

Word vomit. Darcy had taught him that phrase after watching  _Mean Girls_ , which humored him, but he came to realize embarrassingly that every time Thor was mentioned, his first reaction would be a scowl, followed by a monologue on how Thor had wronged him. He had moved passed that, but years of doing so could not be erased entirely, and the thoughts were still present.

After the Chitauri invasion, Thor had become a celebrity in Midgard. That made him desired in not only one realm, but two, and Loki couldn't stand it. So perhaps when he agreed to come to Midgard, a shred of him wanted to do something  _good_  to prove to himself that he could be like Thor.

He could remember very clearly one of the first normal interactions he had on Midgard; Thor took him out to dinner at a restaurant, just the two of them. Every female in the room fawned over him, calling him the Mighty Thor, assaulting him with questions about the Avengers, until he finally said that he was here with family and needed space. Their gazes then slid to Loki with disgust, but Thor merely smiled and introduced him as they awkwardly walked away, throwing wary glances at him.

When Darcy asked him to dinner that fateful night, to say he was thrown off guard was a massive understatement. No one asked him to interact without Thor's invitation first, and Darcy had already shown her dislike of him earlier that day. So why be polite now? Or even dare be with a former super villain with questionable motives? He wanted to know, so he dined with her, but he found so much more.

What was Darcy to him?

If anyone had asked, he would have immediately answered that she was a close friend. But that didn't even begin to describe their relationship. He was pretty sure Darcy had an idea of the effect she had on him, but he never truly vocalized how much he appreciated her, save for the day he apologized.

After the wedding, he took it upon himself to make every effort to make amends in their relationship. It was strange at first, and he knew Darcy would not run back to him easily, so he made the first move by asking her out to lunch to their favorite Pizzeria. It was like he never left and he listened attentively to the new events in her life, and most importantly, her job.

She relayed her experiences with cautioned words, but after seeing that she had his approval, she exploded into her usual excitement that he missed terribly. Yes, he was concerned for her safety, but had been doing this for a year without any predicaments, so he felt at ease and he was immensely proud. Her eyes lit up with a fire he never saw before, as she told him about the different realms, and even though he knew vastly more than her, he listened thoughtfully and they didn't even notice that she had passed her lunch break by five minutes. She then let him teleport her back to work and they departed with the first piece of the bridge back in place.

Her boyfriend had come up, but she never described much other than how they met, and he gathered that their relationship was rather dull. He met the man with a hearty shake and a guarded look, but once they passed the generic small talk, they didn't speak since they had little in common other than Darcy.

As they grew closer and more comfortable in each other presence's again, Darcy often spent more time with Loki and disregarded her boyfriend, and kept their date nights to once a week. He brought this up with concern in her relationship, but she brushed if off.

" _I think Marcus misses you," Loki said as he observed Darcy put up the mini Christmas tree in her apartment._

_Getting a cardboard box filled with decorations from the closet, Darcy shrugged. "I'm meeting him for dinner tomorrow."_

" _After taking pictures with Santa Clause with me," he noted and Darcy stopped what she was doing and glared at him with humor._

" _Are you complaining? You're the one who promised."_

" _Well you haven't kept up with your side of the bargain yet."_

" _I told you, I need a good two weeks off, but Fury has had more dwarves come in recently since international trading is going to start soon. And he wants me to attend the meetings with the EU after the holidays."_

_He mentally slapped himself, trying to remember to stop being selfish since Darcy's job came first in her life. For the past month he had pestered her to visit Asgard since Jane was there more often, and so he could show her around. Surprisingly, she was adamant, saying that if she was going to visit, it'd be more of a vacation, and that wasn't coming any time soon. He said that she must go on her next week off, and she cheekily agreed as long as they took a picture with Santa Clause together. Sighing to himself, he agreed._

" _I'm concerned about your relationship, Darcy. The poor man looks like a sick puppy whenever I see you two at work."_

" _Are you asking me to choose you or him? Because it sure sounds like it." She opened the box a bit harder than she meant, making the ornaments clatter against each other._

_A pregnant pause passed between them, and Loki's stomach twisted into a knot, knowing he was treading on thin ice. As they spent more time together, he became more acutely aware that his feelings were a bit more than friendly. He craved her attention like a drug, and never before has he felt so pathetic and liberated to be at her whims._

" _No. I was merely concerned for you." He snapped his fingers and all the decorations fell into place on the three foot high tree, and Darcy pouted._

" _That's no fun. Change it back."_

_And he did. Putting on Christmas music, she began to decorate the tree, occasionally asking him if it looked nice. He nodded, dropping the topic of Marcus and basked in their time together._

When she told him they had broken up, it was the day that they left for Asgard. She looked distraught, and kept herself at a distance from Loki through her entire stay and spent most of her time with Jane.

He was hurt since he was looking forward to their trip for quite some time, but he attributed it to that she needed some "girl time" with Jane. Darcy looked pleased whenever she was with Jane, but as soon as Loki stepped within a ten foot radius of them, her demeanor immediately dropped and she often scurried off to some other part of the palace or she would go with Jane to see the city.

" _Did I do something wrong?" Loki asked, pulling up a seat across from Darcy as she ate breakfast. She looked nervous, and avoided his eyes as she shook her head, mouth stuffed with bread._

" _Then why have you been avoiding me? Don't play me as a fool, Darcy."_

_Swallowing, she said in a leveled tone, "I needed some space after my breakup with Marcus, so I've been talking to Jane. Mutual female bashing, you know?"_

" _I…suppose. Would it hurt to spend a day with me, though?" She looked up at him guiltily._

" _What do you have in mind?"_

He taught her how to ride (to her horror and enjoyment). Familiar laughter and screams filled her, putting him more at ease, but the entire time, a look of guilt crossed her face, and couldn't tell why.

They rode out to the Bifrost on her last day, and left their horses as they walked along it. Darcy was mystified at what it was made of; she said it looked like as strange combination of mica and diamond, but he merely said that it was magical and more than one race forged it.

Still interested, she sprawled across it, and lied down on her back to observe the unique sky and said that she finally understood what he was saying when he remarked that colors on Asgard were infinitely different than those on Earth, and it was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined. They sat in silence, watching the sunset, until Loki said that they should be getting back before dinner since they were having a feast for her last day.

When they returned home, Darcy kept up with the charade of avoiding him, until a week later she called him out for a shopping trip since her father's birthday was coming up. All traces of discomfort left her, and they resumed their usual conversations, but wonder was on the tip of his tongue, and he longed to ask her  _why_.

Their time together had become strained again, except it was her who was the busy one. Loki never officially returned to SHIELD, other than letting them know that he was back on Midgard, but Loki (as Darcy put it) commuted to Asgard to work in court. Odin worried how the humans would fare with the rest of the realms, but Loki reassured him that they were moving the process along with small steps and when the time came for full communication, they would be ready.

However, there was still the issue of Jotunheim who had not forgiven Asgard for nearly destroying their planet. A new ruler had been crowned, and life on Jotunheim resumed (or as normal as Frost Giants could be), but they didn't threaten war, as of yet. Fury was concerned as to how they would play into international affairs since all the other realms, save for the fire demons, pledged peace. He didn't dare venture there, remembering the last time his team was unprepared. He contemplated calling on the Avengers to sort things out, but they all agreed that this was out of their hands and couldn't be resolved with force alone; political negotiations had to be made.

Loki realized that it was possible to fix the situation. The Jotunns had their quarrel with Asgard, more specifically, him. And they were still weak even though they had found a new ruler, so Loki discussed his plan with Odin. Ever since Asgard took the casket from Joutunheim, their planet had fallen into disarray, and has been in the same state for the past few thousand years.

What if they gave the casket back? Jotunheim would then be able to thrive once again, but Odin feared they would use it to take revenge. Loki reminded him that Alfheim and Midgard were now aligned with Asgard, so any threats made to Asgard, it would also be made to them. Odin grunted at politics, but saw reason in Loki's plan and he confided to Loki that Laufey was a huge source of their evil in the past. Perhaps their new ruler would be more benevolent and seek out the good for his people rather than revenge, so he agreed.

Loki stepped onto the Bifrost, gazing out into the endless horizon. He was doing  _good_. He was making a name for himself not only Asgard, but in all the nine realms. This time he wanted to do it right, for not only him, but Darcy. Throughout their entire friendship, he always pushed her to do more with her life, but overlooked that he also needed some pushing and he often leaned on the excuse that he had forever if he desired to do anything.

But that didn't mean he  _shouldn't_  do anything if it was in his power, and right now, it was. The world was changing rapidly, and he wasn't about to stand by and let it fall into a disaster if he could help it. Darcy found her niche, so it was his turn.

Taking a breath, he stepped into the Bifrost and nodded to Heimdall to take him to Jotunheim. If he was going to do this, he wanted to do it the right way, so by Bifrost. Heimdall pressed his sword into the center of the room, and the Bifrost lit up and the world tree began to form. Loki felt his entire body shift and the cool air of Jotunheim blew into face.

* * *

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2019_

Darcy's brows furrowed in worry as she glanced at her phone. It was Wednesday, and her lunch break, which also meant her weekly coffee with Loki. She sat in Panera Bread at their usual booth, and he was fifteen minutes late as of now.

This was Loki. He was never  _ever_  late to one of their outings, and if he was to be delayed, he would have told her. Grabbing her cup in one hand, she went out of Panera and called his phone. Sucking in a breath, she waited for him to pick up after each ring, but it eventually led to his voicemail.

Her pace quickened as she made her way back to SHIELD, and she slid her card key quickly and hit the seventh floor. If anyone knew where he was, it would be Thor.

"Father told me not to go after him, but I cannot just stand by idly!"

Yup, that was Thor. His voice reverberated down the hallway to Jane's office that was slightly open.

"Odin knows what he's talking about; I'm sure Loki will be back any minute."

"He was supposed to return  _last night_ , Jane!"

"Thor, stop swinging the hammer," Jane released an exasperated sigh as Darcy walked in.

"Where's Loki?" She demanded, and Thor grunted in irritation.

"Odin sent him to Jotunheim to make peace with the Frost Giants. Loki said it was something he had to deal with on his own, but he hasn't returned."

" _What?"_ Darcy shouted, making Jane jump and rustle the papers in her hand. "How can you send him to  _Jotunheim_  of all places, and not have anyone go with him? They'll skin him alive after what he did to their former king."

"I know," Thor replied, shaking his head. "It was Loki's decision, and I respected that, but now I regret it."

"Why aren't you getting him, then?" Darcy asked, making her way to her desk and pulled the drawer out that held her SHIELD issued taser.

"Father said that we had to let Loki handle it. I believe my last experience with Jotunheim wasn't the most…welcome."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "No kidding, big guy." And she began to go towards the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, (she liked to call it the ESB for short) taser strapped to her belt. Thor followed her, looking wary.

"Darcy, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" She slid her card to gain access to the glass bubble where the bridge was held. "I'm getting Loki back."

Thor's eyes widened and he took her arm. "You cannot do that. Jotunheim is very dangerous, Darcy. The temperature itself would handicap you, and the Frost Giants are vile creatures."

"Did you say that to Loki too?" She snapped back, making Thor look remorseful. He still held her arm and he was beginning to drag her gently back to her cubicle.

"Please, let Asgard handle this. I promise that if he doesn't return within the next two days, I will go to Jotunheim myself and find him."

Narrowing her eyes, Darcy relented and went back to her desk to Thor's relief.

"He will be fine. I promise," Thor said and Darcy nodded beneath her glasses as she sat back down, not bothering to put her taser back.

_11:30 PM_

"Miss Lewis, what are you doing here?"

"Uh…I forgot some papers that I needed to get done tonight." She hid underneath her hood, hoping the guard wouldn't think it was strange she was bundled up in a puffy winter coat in May. A scarf was wrapped around her mouth and she coughed, hoping to pass off as sick.

"Well, hurry up and get a good night's rest. No one is down there, just so you know."

"It's fine," she replied and went down to the elevator, breathing a sigh of relief. She was so dead for this, but she couldn't put her mind at ease, knowing that Loki was somewhere in Jotunheim, possibly being tortured and everyone was  _waiting_  to see whether he was okay or not.

She swallowed. They wouldn't kill him, would they? In all her research of Jotunns, and from accounts of other races, they were not kind creatures, but that was due to bitterness from Asgardians.

And there was no way she was backing out on Loki. Their relationship had taken interesting turns in the past year after the wedding, and after her break up with Marcus, she came to the hair-pulling realization that he was right.

So maybe she liked Loki, or possibly even  _loved_ him after all this time. It was the reason why she yearned to accept him back into her life so easily, the reason why her day was always better when he was around, and why her toes would sometimes curl when he did something arduously sweet.

In the back of her mind, she always knew, but at the same time, she knew it was dangerous. Jane had to make the ERB to become immortal. And this was Jane-genius, astrophysicist, now goddess, Jane. And what was Darcy? A girl with a taser and a taste for aliens. There was no way Loki and she could have a normal relationship because one of them (more him than her) would be hurt.

She couldn't do that to him; tread too far emotionally and then have it all ripped away in an instant when she took her last breath. And he wouldn't want to date an old lady anyway. She was almost  _thirty_. When her mom was her age, she already had Darcy. Darcy came to accept her fate as a human, and not an elf or dwarf, and the truth of the matter was that being human majorly sucked.

It didn't mean she couldn't be happy, though. She enjoyed her job, and she was glad of the friendships that she made over the years. Loki's was the most precious to her, and she didn't want to destroy it again. Well, technically the first time wasn't her fault, but still. They had just gotten back up on their feet, and then these new wave of feelings happened on the week they went to Asgard. Darcy had shut herself with Jane, who lent a shoulder to cry on over Marcus, but Darcy didn't shed that many tears. She was more concerned about her standing with Loki, only to realize that she maybe sorta loved him.

But she couldn't tell that to Jane because she knew she would tell Loki, or set them up and inevitably force them to be together with little regard to consequence.

Consequence. If there's anything Loki taught her, it was that every action had a reaction. Okay, maybe physics class taught her that, but the same principal could be applied in a social situation. Either way, she knew that any action she took would leave a huge explosion, and neither of them would ever recover.

After a week of mulling it over, she came to the conclusion that she was okay with being friends. And who knows, maybe she would find someone else to fall in love with, someone who wasn't a Marcus who she could genuinely love.

But who was she kidding? The more time she spent with Loki, the more she was sure that she loved him. And maybe sometimes she would lean in a little too close while they watched a movie to breathe in his scent and feel the contours of muscles beneath his shirt.

And maybe she bent down at the waist with a low cut shirt when he was around, and feeling giddy when he looked her way. The scariest part of it all was that she didn't even try to restrain herself. She knew exactly what she could be getting into, but she kept digging further and further, waiting for something to happen.

She wasn't oblivious to the way he looked at her either, noticing the way his eyes would grow a bit tender when he saw her or the protective he took whenever another guy came a bit too close or looked too long at her chest.

She wished, and she sincerely  _hoped_  he felt the same way, but at the same time, she couldn't. It was way too dangerous.

The lights flickered on as she entered the floor and she went to the glass bubble to access the ERB. She had enough clearance to hopefully activate it. Not that she knew how, but she's seen it dozens of times.

Accessing the lever, she flipped through the hologram above it to find Jotunheim. How was she supposed to hit the switch and be in the center at the same time? She then remembered that there was about a five second delay from the beam of light to the floor, so hopefully that would give her enough time.

Biting her lip, she knew she was probably going to get fired from this, but she threw all her guilt away. It was for Loki. He would do the same.

Pulling the lever down, she dashed towards the metal plate where the beam of light was supposed to strike. She had travelled through it before when she went to Asgard, but this time it was different. A wave of cold air surged throughout her entire body and she held her breath, wondering when the sensation would be over. It creeped up her legs, making her cry out a bit, but it quickly ended as she swirled into the dark surface of Jotunheim.

The wind blew steadily, and snow swirled around her as she got up to brush herself off. It was cold, but the layers she wore helped a bit, so Darcy threw the hood of her jacket upwards and began to make way to find Loki. She had a backpack with two days' worth of food, and some fire starters, but she doubted she could even find some wood in this cold tundra.

There were rocks strewn across-remnants of battle-and Darcy was sure she saw some blood on some of them. Her toes began to get cold, and she prayed to Odin that she would find Loki.

* * *

"Do you have anything else to say,  _Odinson?"_ The new king of Jotunheim called Fafner sneered between the iced bars of Loki's cage. Loki shuddered in his Jotunn form and glared.

"I merely requested for our worlds to make peace. I see no reason for you to imprison me."

Fafner laughed with malice and formed an ice spear in his right hand and pressed it against the bars of the cage.

"You single handedly killed hundreds of my people, and you murdered and betrayed our previous king. What makes you think you deserve any kind of mercy?"

"I don't," Loki replied, but held his gaze steady. "However, I have something you want." He held his hands out and a fake image of the casket appeared, making Fafner's eyes grow wide. He reached through the bars of the cage and attempted to grab it, but Loki made it vanish. Fafner growled and stepped back from the cage.

"In exchange for your life, you will give us the casket?"

"No. I want peace with Jotunheim and Asgard," a murmur of voices resounded with the other Jotunn that surrounded him. "However, my life would be greatly appreciated too," he added with a smirk.

"Then we have no deal," Fafner replied and pressed his hand against Loki's cage, releasing a blue hue, and Loki bit back a hiss. Even though he was Jotunn himself, he still felt the effects of their magic, and this one was quite harmful. He was weak after his battle after they turned hostile on him, and he barely had enough to provide a strong enough ward. He had to work out a negotiation before he fell unconscious.

"Hey Your Royal Smurf-ness, I have a deal for you!"

He had to be going delusional from the pain, but he could see Darcy walking up from the hill, clad in her black puffy jacket and snow boots, as clear as day. She looked weary, and he could barely make out her voice, but that was definitely her sardonic voice.

"D-Darcy?!" He choked out. "What are you doing here? You should be back home." Then he felt anger rising inside of him. How in the world did she end up in Jotunheim without any back up whatsoever?

"I'm pretty sure Fury is going to murder me in cold blood after this," she said, but then smiled. "No pun intended, though." He had to roll his eyes. Only Darcy would make a joke surrounded by Frost Giants.

"I see you're fitting in nicely," she said with a nod, noting that he was blue.

"I had to make them like me somehow," he replied, trying to prevent himself from screaming at her. The Frost Giants looked at her in confusion, debating whether to attack or not, but Darcy looked harmless and not to mention she was pretty much immobile in the mass of down feathers in her coat.

"Who are you,  _human?_ " Fafner said darkly, advancing towards Darcy.

"I actually prefer being called Darcy. Human is a pretty generic term."

"I'll refer to you however I wish _._  I am Fafner, king of Jotunheim. What do you seek?"

Darcy snorted and pointed to Loki. "Him, actually. You see, we have this routine of drinking coffee and eating a muffin every Wednesday, but I think it's because of you that he wasn't able to make it. So if you can give him to me so I can punish him properly-"

A rumble of laughter escalated within the Frost Giants.

"Loki, you don't mean to tell me that you're at this human's whims, do you?" Fafner asked between chortles of laughter.

Loki's lips quirked ever so slightly and with a light tone, "I am afraid that I am. She's quite fierce, as you can see."

Fafner tilted his head to observe Darcy. "You said you have a deal. What is it?"

* * *

Darcy swallowed. In truth, she didn't and she only said that opening line to get his attention. Hopefully she could distract him long enough to find a way to break Loki out.

"Whatever he promised you," she pointed to Loki. "I can give you even better."

Fafner began to laugh, and it didn't help that he was a lot taller than her. They weren't called Frost Giants for nothing, and she learned that Loki was sort of anomaly.

"What could you possibly give us to match the power of the casket? There is nothing else on your puny planet that could amount to that sort of energy."

She raised an eyebrow and dropped her backpack and shuffled through the myriad of objects. Finding a silver flashlight, she pulled it out and pointed it at Fafner. The Frost Giants immediately recoiled into a fighting stance, and she raised both her hands, trying to convince them that she meant no harm.

"Maybe not, but it's not like the casket is the  _only_  source of energy in the world, you know."

"Darcy…" She heard Loki warn, but he was silenced with a look from the Frost Giants.

"What power do you speak of, human? My people have been living in poverty ever since the Aesir robbed us; we barely have enough food to feed our children, and our tribes are constantly at war fighting for resources."

Darcy had to pause for a moment to remind herself that the Frost Giants were like any other race. They wanted the basic comforts of life, and she could only imagine how hard it's been on them to live like this for the past hundred years. She was sure that Asgard was justified in taking the casket, but children were innocent.

She then flickered the flash light on and off, earning some growls from Frost Giants, but an interested look from Fafner.

"Magic?" He asked and she shook her head.

"We call it science, but someone told me that they're one in the same." She smiled to Loki who looked at her apprehensively.

"There's a lot more of this from where I come from. Do you know Tony Stark? Iron Man?" Fafner blinked at her in confusion but let her continue. "I guess not. He's a genius, and he's been making clean energy for the past couple years and it's really changed my world. It could change yours too." Now she was sounding like a telemarketer, she thought wryly to herself, but she actually their attention.

Fury  _did_  mention that he hoped to contact Jotunheim in the near future. Hell, she was this far, she might as well keep going.

"You said you had a lack of food? Have you heard of fast food?" She could see Loki face palming inside his ice cage. Again, the Frost Giants remained silent and only stared at her.

"No?" She rummaged through her backpack again and took out some beef jerky that she brought for the trip. Undoing one of her gloves, she shuddered at the contact with the cold, but carefully undid the wrapping and handed it to the nearest Frost Giant.

"Try it." The Frost Giant glanced to Fafner for approval and he nodded. He brought the jerky to his mouth and nibbled it at first, but then devoured the whole thing in a bite.

"It is…Strange. Not as tasty as our own meat, but edible," he said thoughtfully, as he contemplated the taste in his mouth.

"Human, let me try." Fafner commanded with an open hand. Darcy found another and gave it to him, not bothering to unwrap it and Fafner formed an ice spear to break the binding. He swallowed it whole, and his face twisted in disgust.

"You actually dine on these?" He said.

"Well not for a meal, but it's a nice snack. And since you guys don't have microwaves here, I couldn't exactly bring my Hot Pockets. I did bring Easy Mac just in case I could get a fire going."

More confusion, but Fafner gestured to his men to start a small fire in front of Darcy. She grinned as she found a cup of Easy Mac and placed it into the tin cooking pot. She took a handful of snow and mixed it with the pasta and held it over the flame and waited for it to boil.

Loki looked absolutely frightened for her as she crouched behind the fire with a few Frost Giants on her sides, observing her carefully.

"It's called pasta. When you mix it with water, it turns soft and you can chew it. There are a lot of different sauces you can combine with it. This packet has cheese." The pasta was finished and she removed it from the tin and placed it on the snowy ground, making it melt beneath the pot. She opened the bag of cheese and sprinkled it over the pasta and started to stir it with her camping utensils.

She held it out to Fafner, who took it in the palm of his hand and picked up the fork tentatively. He scooped some into his mouth, and it was met with a rumble of approval.

"Fascinating," he said and began to pass it around for the other Frost Giants to try.

Darcy gave a mega-watt smile, and she began to take out other food from her bag, like chocolate and pudding. Turns out chocolate was indeed universal, so she gave them the pack of Hershey's she brought with her.

Loki balled his hands into fists, trying to concentrate on escaping the cell. He picked up on Darcy's game (or maybe she was genuinely interested; knowing her, she probably was and wouldn't mind being invited to dinner, but he didn't want to take that chance) He let some heat release from his hands and he touched the bars. He hissed as he felt his power being taken, but he continued to press, noticing it was melting a bit.

"…And if you're ever in Midgard, you should definitely contact me. I can show you the best restaurants in New York. If you think this is interesting, wait till you see the chocolate fountain in Godiva…"

He had to laugh; only Darcy could convince a couple of Frost Giants to eat chocolate. He was getting closer, and he hoped he could melt these bars with enough energy to spare to get them out of here. A deal had not been struck, but from the state of things, Asgard's relationship with Jotunheim was already rock bottom anyway.

"I'm afraid we don't understand your vernacular," a Frost Giant said as he took a bite of a strawberry Poptart.

"Godiva is a huge chocolate store. One of my favorites," Darcy said, handing him a whole box of Poptarts.

"You mean to say that these are plentiful in your realm?" Another Frost Giant said, mouthful of chocolate.

"Oh yeah. I mean, there's bad chocolate, but chocolate is everywhere. No offense to Mr. Hershey, but Belgian chocolate is to die for."

The Frost Giants merely nodded as they continued eating, with Fafner observing them, temporarily forgetting about Loki as he worked at the bars of the cage.

Loki was almost through; his vision was becoming clouded and the voices around him were harder to hear than before, but he was close. Darcy was now sitting cross-legged on a piece of stone by the fire with the Frost Giants, rallying tales of her job and the other creatures she encountered. They listened attentively; with Fafner asking questions and having a scribe take notes.

A flash of thunder flickered in the sky, and Loki's eyes darkened. There was no thunder on Jotunheim.

"DARCY!" Thor's voice called as he flew through the air, hammer spinning. He stopped before them, with utter confusion etched on his face, taking in the scene.

"You are not hurt?" Thor growled, and Darcy shook her head and lowered the scarf that covered her mouth.

"Nah. I was showing these guys the wonders of junk food." She nodded her head to the box of Poptarts she had given to a Frost Giant to take home to his family.

Thor held his hammer steadily, looking around, and he spotted Loki.

"Brother!" He shouted and all eyes turned to him. Loki had to stop melting the cage and waved tiredly at Thor.

"What have you done to him?" Thor asked Fafner, pulling his hammer back.

"Peace, Odinson. You Asgardian's are always eager to get to the point of things." Thor continued to glower, but lowered the hammer.

Fafner returned his gaze to Darcy. "Now as I was saying, Jotunheim has no quarrel with your people. If I had known that you had such resources, we could have sped the process along quicker. You said that you were an ambassador?"

Darcy shrugged beneath her puffy jacket. "Sort of. I originally got fired from the job, but Fury has me working as a tour guide to show everyone around when they visit."

Fafner folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her, contemplating his next words. "And you are sure your organization will be open to us?"

She nodded with excitement. "Definitely. We're always looking to learn more, and Jotunheim is like nothing I've ever seen before. It'll be a treat for the both of us."

Thor's mouth hung open, looking back and forth between Darcy and Fafner and occasionally the Jotunns snacking on the sidelines.

Fafner waved his hand and a servant came with a large animal pelt and he draped it over Darcy's shoulders. "Take this as a peace offering to your superiors." She stumbled from the weight, but regained her footing.

"Sure thing," she took a business card from her pocket and handed it to him. "Give this to the person who decides to come. It has my name and phone number on it." Realizing that they don't know what a phone is, she corrected herself. "My means of contact," she said and Fafner nodded.

"Now…Can I have Loki back? I have work tomorrow, and I need to get home ASAP or else I'll need at least five cups of coffee and I don't think anyone wants to see me on that."

Fafner didn't understand anything she said other than her first sentence, but he shook his head. "He is of Asgard, and he will have to undergo our punishment."

"But I just gave you another option for an energy source!" She exclaimed, making Fafner irritated and she became more aware that he was twenty feet tall.

"That is different. The casket is more than energy, it is power."

"Darcy—" Thor said, beginning to reach for her before she got too close. "Let me handle this. His issues are with Asgard."

"Ah, yes. Odinson, what can I do for you?" Fafner sat back on his throne, and the guards resumed their positions.

Loki melted through the bars, but he didn't step from the cage, and his vision was beginning to get blurry. In a few moments he would collapse from all the magic he used, but he struggled to hear. He held onto one of the bars for support, but that was also draining him.

"Return my brother, and we will give you the casket."

Fafner laughed. "I think your brother had another deal in mind. He requested peace."

Thor gripped his hammer, and said in a measured tone, "That would be ideal. However, if you fail to comply with any of those options, we'll have to resort to force." He spun his hammer, but Darcy screamed a loud "NO!" making everyone stare at her.

"I mean…We've come so far. Asgard is aligned with Midgard, and any act of aggression, we'd be forced to defend."

"Is that so?" Fafner said, resting an arm on his knee and placed his chin in the palm of his hand.

Darcy nodded, standing next to Thor. "Please," she begged to both of them. "Is peace really that bad? Asgard had issues with Laufey, but he's gone. You can start your own reign on a better foot instead of vengeance. If your people are as poor as you say, then there's no way they could survive a war." A bit offensive on her part, but she hoped it would get through.

Fafner gave a low hum and nodded slowly. "Perhaps this human is right." He held out his hand and clenched it into a fist, releasing Loki from the ice cage as the bars shattered. He collapsed into the heap, and Thor ran over to get him, slinging him over his shoulder.

"We will contemplate this agreement. For now, return home, sons of Odin." Thor nodded and held Darcy's arm. "As for you, Darcy Lewis, expect an arrival from us very soon." Darcy internally fist pumped. She just got the king of Jotunheim on their side. Well, not entirely, but it was a huge start.

"Thank you," She said and he nodded his head as she struggled to walk with the animal pelt on her back.

"Darcy, first I must return to Asgard to heal Loki," Thor said, still confounded by the whole situation.

"I'll come with you. I want to make sure he's alright." She reached out her gloved hand to touch Loki's blue hand and smiled. He was okay.

* * *

When Loki awoke, he noticed he was in his bed chamber, and blue. Memories began to pour back in, and he deduced that he lost conscious as soon as Fafner released him. He remembered Thor coming after him, and Darcy's suicidal actions.

Darcy.

He had been too weak to take in the weight of her actions, but it was much clearer to him now. She came all the way to Jotunheim (presumably under no clearance from Fury), alone, and unsure if she would ever return safely. Did she not understand the amount of danger that she put herself in? Anger began to swirl in his heart, thinking of all the possible situations that could have gone awry if she wasn't so quick witted, or even worse, have no food.

He would have made it out fine, if he had more time and Thor would have come anyway. So why put her life on the line? He then remembered that it was Wednesday, and he had missed (as she had pointed out) their weekly coffee. If he had been feeling more awake, he would have rolled his eyes. Of course she would get worked up over that. He was always punctual, and always notified her of his whereabouts.

"Hey, you're up." Darcy walked in, clothed in a simple white Asgardian gown, but she never looked more beautiful. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was tussled, but she appeared relieved.

He got up, but groaned in pain. "How long was I asleep?" He asked groggily.

"About a day. The healers said you would be okay, and needed some rest."

Silence passed between them and Darcy sat on his bed, looking down at her feet.

"Why did you come?" He asked quietly, reaching out for her. "Did you even  _fathom_  how much danger you were in? They could have killed you in an instant, and if they didn't harm you, the weather would have." His voice was firmer than he would have liked, but he couldn't hide his anger.

"Your life is much too fragile for reckless decisions like that," he finished, preparing himself for an acerbic rebuttal and a possible fight, but Darcy remained strangely silent.

"I would have been fine, Darcy. My conversation with them had gone longer than I planned, and being imprisoned wasn't on my to-do list, but I did actually break the bars. If my magic held up a little longer, I could have brought myself back to Asgard."

"Don't say that," she said, turning herself so she could look at him with a fiery expression. "You were not  _fine_. If I didn't come, who knows how long they would have kept you locked in there! What if you died?!"

"I don't think that would have happened; it takes more than a draining spell to kill me—"

"Loki, you don't get it." Her blue eyes met his red ones, and her look softened into something tenderer. "I may have not been able to 'fathom how much danger' I was in, but I don't think you understand how much I was worried about  _you._ " He sucked in a breath and tears started to form at the corners of her eyes.

"You always tell me how much you hate Frost Giants and how dangerous and menacing they are. But you're one too, can't you see that?" She touched his cheek, reminding him of the night in Paris when she saw his Jotunn form for the first time.

"At first I couldn't believe that you volunteered yourself to go to Jotunheim. Thor told me you had this plan to bring peace to Jotunheim and Asgard, but all I could ask myself was _why_. You hate the Frost Giants, and I know if you could change anything, you'd wish to be an Aesir. And when you were late for coffee, I lost it because I knew something bad must have happened…"

She glared at him, demanding an explanation, but Loki could only cloak himself in silence for so long. He shifted, rubbing the base of his neck, wondering if he should play this off as wanting to be the hero. But if there was anyone he couldn't lie to, it was Darcy. It was almost unfair since she was so readable herself.

Coming to a conclusion, he said desperately, "I did it for you."

Her eyes widened, and before he could blink, she was leaning down, barely an inch away from his chest.

"What?" She whispered, and that was it for him, as he wrapped his arm around the small of her back and closed the distance between them with his lips.

This was the only way to make her understand, he justified to himself as their lips moved against each other. It was nervous at first, both unaware and startled by the sudden change in their relationship, but that quickly changed as Darcy responded with more fervor and he groaned with pleasure as she bit down on his lip gently.

* * *

"I did it for you."

Something in her shattered when he said that. There was no mistaking the larger meaning behind it, from the desperate expression in his eyes and both of their breathing quickened when she drew closer. Her one word question was all he needed, and she found herself kissing Loki, and her heart was screaming  _finally_.

It wasn't the type of liberation that one felt after months, or possibly even years of sexual tension; it was completely different, like something in her snapped that made her let go of all her inhibitions and fears of what may lie ahead. There was only one thing she was sure of, and it was that she really, truly,  _loved_  him.

They were escalating further as his hands travelled down her hips, playing with the soft fabric of her dress. She moved to wrap her legs around him, but her foot slipped on the blanket, causing her to crash into him a bit too harshly, and they broke apart, with a painful grunt from Loki.

"It seems as though I haven't healed quite yet," he said, looking thoroughly embarrassed, and his face flushed into a dark ultra-marine color.

She smiled, with a blush that rivaled his own and pulled up the blanket so that she could crawl in beside him and began kissing him again, slower this time.

"Loki, I—" He cupped her cheek as she began to speak in between kisses, and he sighed in pleasure as their foreheads touched.

"Let me be the first," he responded in a hushed tone, foreheads still pressed together, looking at Darcy just beneath his lashes.

"I love you," he said earnestly. "I've been falling in love with you for the longest time, but I've only begun to realize it recently. I can't stand seeing you in any sort of danger, and what I desire most is to make you happy.  _You're_  my home, Darcy. I may be Jotunn and of Asgard, but I am indisputably yours, and I have done nothing in this universe to deserve you."

Her heart pounded in her chest, as she inhaled, remembering to breathe, trying to grasp that this was all real.

"I wanted to do something good. All this time I urged you to find yourself, and you finally have. The way you handled those Frost Giants…" He lifted his head to look at her in the eye. "Never before have I been so terrified and proud of you."

She gave a teary smile and trailed a finger down his jaw line. "You don't have to prove anything to me, Loki."

"Perhaps. But this was for me too. I needed to fix the things I've broken before I could really move on."

Still entranced by each other, Darcy said, "Can you move on now?"

A devilish smirk appeared on Loki's lips as he captured her lips again. "I believe so."

They continued, but Darcy noticed that Loki was still exhausted, so he dashed out the lights and snuggled into bed, arm wrapped firmly around Darcy's waist. He nestled his face into her hair, drinking in the moment and kissed the nape of her neck.

A yawn escaped Darcy as she began to close her eyes. "I love you too, Loki," she said and she could feel his smile against her hair. They descended into a deep slumber, with one resounding in both of their minds.  _Finally._


	9. Chapter Eight

May 4th, 2020

Darcy rolled onto her back and stretched her arms and legs with a sigh of contentment. Glancing to her left, Loki had his head buried in a pillow with his hair tussled against his shoulders. The corners of his lips were slightly upturned, making her wonder what he was dreaming about. Deciding to let him sleep, she slipped from the white covers of their hotel bed, and threw on a silk robe to cover her bare frame.

Most of their room was white; it was a honeymoon suite, so the bed looked larger than the average king-size and the furniture resembled something from a fairy-tale. The Jacuzzi in the bathroom was large enough for two, and Darcy noted that for later tonight.

She opened up the windows of their balcony, letting in some Hawaiian breeze. It was nearly noon, but they were still jet lagged and the excitement of the wedding was still leaving their bodies. Darcy smiled as she held out her hand into the light letting her engagement ring glisten in the sun. While it was hers, it was characteristically Loki's with a beautiful diamond in the middle and green stones bordering it. It was supposedly a special stone only found from Asgard, and that's what gave it the strange pale green quality.

Seven years ago, she would have never thought to be in this place. What happened to the girl just out of college who made coffee at Starbucks? Now she was married, had a stable job, and making a huge difference in the  _universe_. Well, maybe not as much of a difference as she thought sometimes, but being able to embark on something as groundbreaking as magic was a big deal to her.

Loki was a master of tact, so she shouldn't have been too surprised when he proposed, but they had never even broached the topic of  _marriage_. Immortality had always been on the back of Darcy's mind—it was hard not to when your boss was technically a goddess and your boyfriend a god.

_Darcy bit into a granny smith apple and paced around the counter absentmindedly while Loki flipped through the newspaper. It was all strangely domestic to her, she was still getting used to the idea of them living together even if it happened seamlessly._

_Life as a couple wasn't as different as she thought, but definitely pleasing. They no longer had to side step around their affection for each other; dinners were now dates, and Loki turned out to be quite the romantic even if he didn't like to admit it. His little snacks at work were now accompanied by flowers and a note, but he did it sporadic enough so she wouldn't know when to expect them._

_They fought, of course, over meaningless things. What to eat, how long each of them worked, and never ending debates on the nine realms. Turns out they had very different viewpoints, (she was American gosh darnnit, and democracy was the way to go) and Loki had tried numerous times to explain that the Frost Giants, elves, and dwarves, were quite happy with their system of government. Darcy argued that their governments were the reason they failed to unify the nine realms before and blinded by their own ignorance. He then replied that it was a cultural thing, only escalating their argument until one of them locked themselves into the bedroom, leaving the other in the vacant den. (They had settled on Darcy's apartment since she had a lot more stuff and didn't feel like moving it)_

_Their fights never lasted long, though. Darcy had taught Loki the meaning of makeup sex and it never failed to please either of them. They enjoyed each other's physical presence after years of border lining romance. It was the small things that made Darcy happy—his hand on the small of her back if they were sitting near each other, or the way they played with each other's fingers when they held hands._

_But if there was one topic they never liked to argue or discuss, it was Darcy's dwindling mortality._

" _Did you know thirty is past primary child bearing years?" Darcy told him, biting into her apple again. Loki looked up from his newspaper and set it down, giving her a skeptical look._

" _I'm not familiar with Midgardian anatomy, but if you say so." He rose to get another cup of coffee and Darcy chucked the apple core across the room, aiming for the garbage can, but she missed it by a good three feet. Loki snickered. "You'll have to get that yourself."_

" _Why? You can wave your hand or snap your fingers. That's why you always do the dishes."_

" _Is it really that much different than inserting a few plates into the washer?"_

" _Yes." And she stuck her tongue out playfully and propped herself up onto the counter. Loki sauntered over to her, placing both his hands on hips and leaned down for a kiss._

" _Just this once, then," he said and the apple flew up into the trash. Darcy pulled on his collar as she deepened the kiss._

_Loki released their lips, he looked at her with concern. "Is there any reason you mentioned children?" Darcy looked off to the side._

" _I'm not getting any younger…" She muttered and Loki's eyes darkened._

" _You're perfect," he said and scooped her up bridal style to bring her to the bedroom. Darcy hit him playfully._

" _Stop avoiding the subject."_

" _What subject?" Loki asked with innocence, but his eyes said anything but as he undid the buttons on her shirt and kissed her collarbone. Darcy tilted her head back. Another day, she thought._

Even though the prospect of potential death still hung over Darcy's head, she didn't linger on it too much. She knew it upset Loki even if he liked to hide it, and they were still only on the first year of their actual relationship. Jane and Thor married much later than a year, and she knew from Jane that Thor refused to make any sort of commitment until he knew for sure they could be together forever.

So when Loki suggested they go to Coney Island again (they hadn't been there since that day), Darcy was pleasantly surprised, and blissfully unaware for what he had in store.

" _I thought you hate amusement parks," Darcy said, skipping in her sandals, mouth full of kettlecorn._

_Loki gave an unsophisticated grunt. "I do. I don't see the appeal of screaming children and dirty rides."_

" _You have to admit Disney was interesting." Again, Loki shrugged not finding any enjoyment from people in costumes or flashing promises of "Happily ever after," and "Dreams come true."_

_Loki was never the one to believe in an absolute future, unlike Thor who basked in the hopes and dreams of becoming king with a beautiful queen at his side. This was before the incident however, and they had both come to realize that their thoughts needed some broadening. He doubted that Thor ever imagined marrying a Midgardian, and Loki never thought he would be content not being king. But fate had its own cards to play and now here he was, hoping that he and Darcy could have a happy future._

" _I'm here for nostalgic purposes," Loki said, prodding at his own kettlecorn._

_Darcy elbowed him in the ribs. "Feeling old?"_

_He gave a laugh and shook his head. "Not quite."_

_While they didn't go on many rides this time, they did go up to the Ferris wheel at night to watch the fireworks. Darcy curled up against Loki's side in the gondola heads pressed together in comfort._

" _I remember that day," Darcy said quietly, folding her knees inward. "I felt like an idiot pouring out my heart to you. We didn't even know each other that well; I had a stupid crush on you from your letters and I was so frustrated."_

" _It wasn't stupid," he said softly, but let her continue._

" _But you listened and you made me feel…Well, kinda amazing. I had a god telling me that I was important. A god with all the power in the universe."_

" _Hardly."_

_Darcy glared even though he couldn't see it in the darkness. "Stop interrupting me!" He chuckled and told her to proceed._

" _So yeah. You're the first person to really believe in me, and I have you to thank for giving me a little self-esteem boost from the very beginning."_

" _I think you're underestimating your own self-worth again," Loki said, remembering the year of his absence and the huge surge in her career._

" _I'm not; I know I can take care of myself now. I'm saying thank you for believing in me. So take the compliment." She smiled, and Loki felt himself smiling in return and shifted their positions so she was more upright but his arms encircled her waist tightly._

" _You already know how much our time together means to me," he said into her neck, making her shiver._

_Darcy nodded. After Loki healed, they returned back to Earth. Darcy was in big trouble for using the Bridge without any clearance from SHIELD, so after a firm debriefing, she was sent on her way. It helped that she got the Frost Giants on their side, so Fury let her off without too many repercussions. And after all of that, their relationship kick started which led into more love confessions from both of them. Their secret admiration and attraction all these years, and how much they each changed each other's lives._

_Loki knew he wanted no one else. There was not a single being in the entire nine realms who could possibly understand him (or tolerate him) as Darcy did. Speaking of a long term relationship was almost humorous to both of them. They belonged together, and even though love was still a strange concept to him, Darcy was it for him._

" _Hey, look out the window," Loki said, releasing Darcy from his arms and she wiggled out to stand at the edge of the gondola. A delighted gasp came from her lips as she grinned at the scene before her._

" _WILL YOU MARRY ME?" Was written in fireworks across the night sky. It glowed beautifully, and it sparkled longer than usual._

" _That's one lucky girl," Darcy said, spinning around to make sure Loki got a good view before it faded. Turning, she drew in a quick breath and held onto the bar to keep herself from falling. Loki was down on one knee in a suit, holding an open jewelry box in his hands._

_She wasn't going to be that girl who broke down crying at a proposal, but words were failing her at the moment as she looked back and forth between Loki and the message out the window. Her throat began to tighten as she tried to compose herself, but failing._

" _I think I've watched enough Midgardian movies to know how this works," Loki muttered, but his eyes never left her face. He was holding his breath as Darcy had a hand over her mouth, holding back squeals of happiness._

" _YES!" She screamed finally, throwing her arms around his neck and kissed him with such intensity that Loki almost dropped the ring. They were on the floor, but they didn't care as Darcy rested her head against his chest as he slipped the ring onto her finger._

" _It's beautiful," she said, holding out her hand._

" _I had it crafted with both Asgardian and Midgardian jewels."_

" _Like us," she said, bringing him down for another kiss. "I love you so much—I can't believe you, you little trickster. You knew I would never expect this. Speaking of which, how's this going to work out at home?"_

" _You mean Asgard? Let's just say there's an apple waiting for you-my mother made sure of that."_

" _I knew I liked your mom."_

Turns out Darcy's ambassador status earned her a quite a title in the Nine Realms, which made her eligible to marry royalty. Or at least that's what Frigga said with a wink in Loki's direction the last time they visited Asgard. The wedding in Asgard would be held off until later since a fancy coronation for Darcy was in order (she was going to be a  _princess_ -now that was something she couldn't wrap her head around), so plans for their actual wedding was made first.

When she told her dad she was engaged, he gave her the  _I-told-you-so_  speech. She introduced Loki as her boyfriend to him at Christmas, but she wasn't completely honest with him and she merely said they were colleagues at work. She had a gut feeling that her dad knew who he was (It's hard to forget the face of the man who made the news for months) but he didn't say anything and greeted him like the son he never had. Loki was as suave as ever, and surprised Darcy on his knowledge of cars since her dad was a total geek about them.

The day before they left, Darcy and her dad had some alone time and her dad told her conspiringly, "You're going to marry that boy, I know it. And I approve." Darcy rolled her eyes and brushed the topic away, but her father was happy as ever when they left for the "airport." (In reality, Loki teleported them back to New York, but he didn't need to know that)

It wasn't until after Loki proposed that they dropped the bomb that he was actually a prince from a different world. Her dad took it rather well, and said that she never did things the "normal way" anyway, and that he knew she was working for a secret organization since Darcy's been so hush-hush for the past few years. As long Loki treated her well he didn't even care if he had two heads. So any worries about her dad disapproving were thrown out the window, and magic became another topic at the dinner table. Darcy knew that it would only be a few years until the entire public would have to be accustomed to other planets visiting, so this was a nice start for her. As an ambassador, she would have to help ease the process with the public, and she still wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. Racism was prevalent everywhere, but as with everything, it took time.

Despite her qualms, she temporarily pushed them aside to work on wedding arrangements. She was by no means a bridezilla (Jane border lined it, but Darcy knew that Jane was anal to begin with), but she did want it to be special. Loki left all the decisions to her-he could care less as long as they were married. It was slightly frustrating on Darcy's part who fretted over things like table arrangements (Who knew there were so many different types of forks, knives and plates?), so when she couldn't make a decision, she would drag Jane along. The only thing that Loki did care about was food, and he wouldn't tolerate having their guests eating anything unrefined.

It was small and intimate unlike Jane and Thor's whose breathed extravagance. Darcy just invited family and friends, and since Loki didn't associate with people outside of SHIELD, they didn't have too many guests. It didn't mean it wasn't special, though.

_She breathed in as she walked down the aisle. In and out, she told herself, retaining a vice like grip on her father's arm. Loki stood next to Thor in a tuxedo with a huge smile on his face, eyes never leaving hers. It was strange to see him so happy in the company of everyone else. Usually this side of him only came out when it was just the two of them. Even during public outings, Loki kept an exterior of nonchalance save for a few moments._

_Darcy wore her mother's dress. It was vintage with lace that exposed her shoulder blade, and the bottom of it trailed down her legs so that it spread into a ruffled circular pattern. When her dad saw her for the first time, he started to cry saying that her mother would have been so proud._

Can you see me now, Mom? _Darcy thought as she descended down the aisle. Admittingly, the dress wasn't her style, but she knew from the moment Loki proposed that this was the only dress she would wear. If her mom couldn't be here in person, then this would have to make up for it._

"… _To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish…Forever."_

_They felt that "forever" would be much more appropriate for their vows instead of the classic "till death do us part." They shared a conspiratorial smirk as the judge said this._

" _You may kiss the bride." Darcy yelped as Loki swept her up off her feet—literally-and pressed his lips against hers. The crowd began to cheer and clap, but they paid no attention as they continued._

" _Whoever thought Rock of Ages would get hitched?" Tony Stark said, wolf whistling. Loki heard that and grinned as he wrapped an arm around Darcy's waist._

" _I certainly didn't," he replied as they walked past the guests and Tony had to smile in return._

"Enjoying the view, darling?" Loki asked, snaking his arms around Darcy's waist. He had only a pair of pants on and his hair was an unruly mess from the previous night.

"I am. I didn't think you were serious when you said you wanted to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. Especially with your standards."

He raised an eyebrow. " _My_ standards?"

"Yes, my Prince,  _your_  unbelievable high standards."

Loki's hold on her tightened and he spun her around with a devilish gleam in his eye.

"Say that again," he commanded.

"What? You have unbelievably high standards," she said, emphasizing every word.

"No, the other thing."

"My….Prince?" Darcy said slowly, causing Loki to pull her back aggressively into the bedroom.

"You've never said that me before," he said, nearly throwing her onto the bed and ran a hand down her cheek and down her neck.

Darcy laughed, not realizing that it could be such a turn on. She strengthened her own hold on him and ran her hands through his hair, pulling him in.

"I'll say it more often if you'd like," she said breathlessly as Loki slipped the robe from her body and let it fall to the marble floor.

"You know we have a tour later…" She began but stopped since he started trailing kisses down her neck and shoulders.

* * *

"You're unusually quiet," Loki said, observing Darcy nibbling her fish at the swanky restaurant they decided on for the night.

"I was thinking about our Asgardian wedding," she said, cutting into another portion of fish. "Even though I've been there before, it's different this time."

"How so?"

"Well for starters, I'm marrying you. I mean, technically we're married by mortal standards, but not yet in Asgardian, right?"

Twiddling a fork, Loki gazed absently into the descending sun. "I suppose, but does it make a difference? You're mine in every sense." He then took her hand and played with the engagement ring. She wore it proudly, making him swell with pride every time a stranger would comment how pretty and unique it is.

" _That's a lovely ring, dearie." An old woman said wistfully as Darcy reached for her ice cream cone over the counter._

" _Thanks! My fiancée is over there brooding in the corner." She nodded her head to Loki who was sitting with his legs crossed by a round table, observing the two of them._

" _Quite a catch," the lady replied winking, making Darcy laugh._

" _You have no idea."_

_She waved goodbye and sat down next to Loki licking her ice cream. "Want a lick?" She questioned, holding out the cone to him. He shook his head so she shrugged and resumed eating._

" _I love saying 'my fiancée,' by the way. 'My boyfriend,' was cute too, but fiancée has a totally different ring to it."_

_He gave a small smirk. "So you like bragging about me."_

_Taking the ice cream, she shoved a bit into his cheek, earning a childish pout from him. "No, I like bragging about_ us _." Rolling his eyes, he took a napkin and wiped away the ice cream, but Darcy leaned over to give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek._

" _You better not wipe that off."_

" _I'm not walking out of this store with ice cream dripping from my face."_

" _Hmm, in that case…" She leaned over again and licked it from his cheek, making him color._

" _Not in public!" He hissed, so Darcy sat back down with a satisfied grin._

Darcy placed her fork down and dabbed her mouth with a napkin to wipe away the butter. "It's just…Well, I don't feel good enough."

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Good enough for what?"

"Asgard," she said quietly. "They're going to look down on me because I'm human. I'm marrying their prince. What if they don't like me? Jane got some dirty looks in town after she married Thor…."

"Darcy," Loki responded with an eye-roll. "What happened to all that confidence?"

"I'm joining a royal family; that's pretty intimidating stuff!" She countered. Loki held her look, assessing his own words before replying with a bit of a snort.

"Yes, but you're marrying  _me_."

"So?"

He smiled in a way that looked almost threatening. "Thor is much more of a people-person than I am. I am…Well, despite my return and effort to serve the throne, it does not change the fact that I'm one of the most powerful sorcerers in all the nine realms. And," he added with a rueful expression. "I singlehandedly almost destroyed all of Jotunheim and Midgard."

"Okay…" Darcy acknowledged in confusion.

"Darcy, they  _fear_ me. Any insult to my wife, is an insult to me. The public would not want to see me angry."

"Oh." Darcy's expression fell, making Loki uncomfortable.

"Shouldn't that reassure you?"

"No—I don't want to be respected out of fear."

"Sweetheart," he began, making Darcy melt a bit (it was her favorite form of endearment). "They'll respect you out of fear at first, but you will earn it. The Aesir are very old and are not as welcome to change as you know. But they will grow to love you. The royal family is well-respected. When our time on Midgard passes, you'll learn your duties to court. For now, be at ease. Asgardians love parties, so any excuse to have one brings enjoyment. Weddings are no different, if not better."

Pursing her lips, she asked slowly, "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Shall we order dessert now?" That brightened her up instantly as she foraged through the menu for something chocolate based. Loki kept hold on her hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her.

* * *

"Paddleboard," Darcy insisted, tugging at Loki's sleeve.

"I actually enjoyed surfing, though." Darcy pouted and threw her hands into the air.

"But I sucked. Majorly. I'd rather not go back to work in bruises, thank you very much. And besides, two people can paddleboard." She pointed to a couple in the ocean, with a man rowing and the woman relaxing. "Surfing isn't fun if one of us is constantly underwater. Pleaseee?" She bounced on the balls of her feet and pouted a bit more for emphasis.

Loki relented and sighed, handing money to the man running the kiosk. Darcy ran to a paddleboard and stumbled as she took it from its position.

"Let's go!" And she dragged it comically into the ocean, only to be hit by a wave making her fall backwards.

Loki lifted the board over his head and pulled Darcy up with his other hand.

"I will always envy your godly super strength."

"I would like to think I'm of more use to you than for opening bottles. Take the paddle, if that makes you feel better."

"When I'm a goddess, will I get super strength too? Or super powers? Or a cool helmet? The only change in Jane I've seen is that she's less hungry but she still needs like five cups of coffee."

Loki snorted as he strapped the paddleboard to his ankle. "Probably not. The effects of the apple happen gradually. While you gain immortality instantly, things like metabolism and strength take at least a century."

"So no helmet?" She pulled herself up to sit on the board, making it wobble. Loki took the paddle and began to row with the current.

"No helmet," He responded with a laugh.

"Damn. If I  _did_ get one, I think I would want one with bunny ears."

"What?!" Loki sputtered out, almost losing his balance.

"Or maybe cat ears? Bunnies are more my style though."

"What in Valhalla are you saying?"

She turned around giving him a pointed look. "Thor explained the helmet thing to me. You're a cow and he's a bird. Because you have horns and he has wings and—"

"No, no, no, that isn't how it works. I picked out the horns because they were much more menacing than Thor's  _feathers_."

Darcy started to giggle. "Okay,  _cow_."

"Watch it," he warned, raising the paddle to splash her with water.

"You know what; I think I'm going to stand. I want to see the rocks from a better perspective." She rose quickly, making her lose her footing on the slippery wood, so she started to back up to remedy it.

"Darcy, if you come any closer the weight will be uneven and—" She began to fall, and Loki held out an arm to try and catch her, but it was too late. The board tilted and they both fell back into the water. Luckily it was deep enough so neither of them hit their heads, and Darcy popped up, exploding into laughter.

"Sorry!" She said, but her mouth gargled with water as she tried to tread. Laughing and treading didn't mix well, so she composed herself as she flipped the board over to hold onto it.

"It's fine," Loki said, shaking out his hair and climbed back on.

"I don't think water sports are my thing."

"This isn't even a sport. It's leisure." They propped themselves back up, and sat side by side with the salty scent still lingering on their bodies.

She kissed his shoulder and rested her head on it. "Thanks for putting up with me and my klutziness."

"I hardly call it 'putting up with you,'" Loki interjected, wrapping an arm around her.

"Still. I can be a handful."

"That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it." He felt her smile against his shoulder.

"I love you. In case I haven't said it enough."

Loki chuckled. "And I you."

* * *

Their honey moon ended in a perfect bliss. After a week and a half in Hawaii of learning how to surf, snorkel, and touring throughout wonders, they returned home.

Darcy was afraid that after their honeymoon the romantic part of their relationship would die down, but if anything, it got better. Maybe it was the reassurance that they literally had each other  _forever_ , but whatever it was, Darcy was grateful for it.

Loki had managed to put her anxiety over the Asgardian wedding at ease during their trip, but apparently it was supposed to take place a month from now. He had reassured her that the only thing she needed to do was show up and look pretty (as always, he added, knowing that she would soften up with a compliment).

The day finally came and she took another week off from work. Loki instantly whisked her to Asgard, not bothering with the Bridge since they left in the intimacy of their home.

They appeared at the front of the palace, and they were greeted as usual with Frigga at the forefront.

"Welcome to the family, Darcy."

Darcy noted Odin standing in the background observing the scene before him. In all the times she's visited Asgard, they had never spoken save for their quiet acknowledgements that usually consisted of a head nod. Frigga on the other hand loved Darcy and never failed to have a nice conversation when she visited. She often wondered if she would like any girl who Loki dated or married, but she seemed genuinely interested in her. However, she had Frigga to thank for her immortality status so she must been okay in her book.

"Should I start calling you Mom?" Darcy asked, attempting to create light hearted conversation, as they were ushered into the palace to Loki's quarters.

"Oh no, dear. Frigga is fine," She turned her head to smile at Darcy. "Unless you want to, of course. Jane called me Mrs. Odinson at first, which is ridiculous but the sentiment was taken."

Darcy gave a sheepish grin, knowing that she was also disappointed at the lack of name changing. It was every girl's dream to doodle in their notebook "Mrs. Darcy Odinson," or something of the like when dating began, and Loki had to remind her before their wedding that no such thing would happen.

He tried explaining the name thing to her, and said that any child of theirs would be a Lokidottir or Lokison. Darcy thought both sounded dumb, but she kept her feelings to herself knowing that family names were a sore spot for Loki.

"The wedding will be tomorrow. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to let the maids know." Frigga gave Darcy a hug and a kiss on forehead to Loki. Loki rolled his eyes, looking satirically petulant as he kissed her in return on the cheek. Patting his shoulder, Frigga left and Loki opened up his room by pressing his palm against the door.

Darcy loved Loki's room—unlike their apartment, his room breathed his character. Everything was neat and orderly and he had bookshelves lined against his walls. The palace had its own library, but this was Loki's private collection that he often referred to do when researching magic.

He had his own fireplace, which was pleasant against the black that permeated the room in almost every aspect except for the ceiling which was nonexistent, or at least it looked like it. Apparently the ceiling was veiled in magic so the weather wouldn't get in, and it could be dimmed when he was sleeping.

Other than books, the room had no other defining features than the large bed in the center and a desk that only held parchment and a few quills.

"Shall we rest for the night?" Loki asked, magicking himself into pajamas that looked awfully like Renaissance clothing.

"Sure, let me wash up." Unpacking her suitcase, Darcy threw a pair of cotton pajamas onto the bed and then started digging out her toiletries.

"I'll be right back." Loki nodded, reclining himself onto the bed and pulled a book from the shelf.

Plumbing was surprisingly similar in Asgard as Darcy pulled on the huge golden lever to release a steady stream of water. She felt unsophisticated as she hacked out her toothpaste into the basin and took a swig of water in the palms of her hands to rinse.

She wondered if she would have to become… _Refined_  once princess-ship was upon her. Loki said that it would be awhile until she had to do that, though. The only reason why Jane travelled back and forth so frequently was to assist Thor. If she was to be queen one day, she would have to know the ropes of everything.

Darcy wished she paid more attention to the  _Princess Diaries_ as she observed herself in the mirror. Fiddling with her hair, Darcy huffed knowing that Loki would help her with anything she needed to know.

When she returned to the room, Loki had dimmed down the lights and he was no longer reading.

"Hey handsome," she said, sliding in next to him. He pulled her against him so that their forms fit into each other and he buried his face into her hair.

"I'm sorry things are happening so quickly," he said and Darcy shrugged beneath him.

"It's cool. Honestly, I prefer it. Get it done and over with type of thing."

"Is that how you feel?" He asked worriedly. "I want you to enjoy this."

Flushing with guilt, Darcy shifted and twisted to face him and she traced her hands down his chest. "Kinda. I'm scared shitless."

Cupping her face, Loki gave her a quick kiss. "I can't wait to show you off to all of Asgard. That  _you_ are  _mine._  And I'm the fool lucky enough to marry you."

Well, that was good enough for her, she decided snuggling into his chest. "Okay," she said, kissing his neck.

"You took that well. You're usually adverse to me using compliments to sway you."

"I am, but I figured you're usually right when it comes to the whole pep talk thing." Flashing her a confused look, she continued.

"Oh come on. I'm always the one freaking out over little stuff. Well, not just little stuff, but everything. Like when I have a bad day or screw up something in Jane's notes or when I doubt myself, like right now. And you're cool as a cucumber, and you go all Yoda on me with your 'This too shall pass.'"

"That's from the Bible," Loki interrupted, and Darcy rolled her eyes.

"My point is, you're my rock. And if you say that it'll be okay, it'll be okay. I may not always believe it, but 99% percent of time, you're right."

"How ironic that the god of lies manages to speak truth," Loki mused, earning a smile from Darcy.

"I'll probably be on the verge of throwing up tomorrow, but you're there. If I  _do_ vomit, you'll hold my hair back."

Chuckling, Loki dimmed down the lights further until only their silhouettes could be seen. "I'm glad our love constitutes that we are there for each other when we vomit."

"Hey, we promised in health and in  _sickness._  You get  _all_  of this."

"I think the vow went 'In  _sickness_ and in  _health_ ,'" he corrected and Darcy hit his chest playfully.

"See, that's how it works. You correct me when I make a fool of myself, and I keep you sane so you don't try and take over any worlds."

" _Is_ that what you do?" He pondered jokingly.

"Yes. I keep you entertained long enough so you don't get any ideas."

"Hmm. That much is true. I'll admit that my priorities have shifted immensely ever since you came into my life."

Satisfied, Darcy threw the covers over them and resumed snuggling against him. "We better sleep so we don't look like zombies tomorrow. We don't want to give Asgard any ideas of what kept us up."

Looking scandalized, Loki asked, "Why? I would love to show them that I have this every night." And with that, he began to play with her shirt and started pulling it up while the other hand brushed against her stomach.

"I'm serious, Loki!" She removed his hands and placed them firmly on her hips.

"That isn't much better," he began but she shushed him.

"Goodnight!" She declared and he complied, resting his head against hers with a laugh.


	10. Epilogue

May 4th, 2100

"ARGH!" A frustrated cry erupted from the palace gardens as a blue tinted girl paced back and forth with fists of hair.

Growing increasingly annoyed, the girl shot embers from her palms and onto the marble platform in front of her. "Every. Damn. Time," She said to herself between bursts of flames. Bits of ice followed up the embers as she continued throw spells.

A couple of guards looked at her with uneasiness, but she ignored their looks. They could judge her if they wanted; even though magic wasn't practiced by the majority of the population, it was still one of the most feared powers in the nine realms. She was no warrior and neither was her brother—that was best left to her cousin.

Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes in deep concentration. What was it that her father always said? Something with moving every particle in her body...Or was it moving her body as a whole? Deciding on the former, she let out a surge of magic.

Falling backwards, she let out a choking sound and clenched the grass beneath her and she sprang back up, but got lightheaded in the process. Stupid mortal genes.

"Need help?" Jerking her head to the side, the girl narrowed her eyes in the direction of the voice.

"Not from you," she replied letting her black hair fall from the pony tail she had it in before.

Loki quirked an amused eyebrow and teleported himself behind his daughter. "Eira," he began and she spun around and attempted to throw a spear of ice at his face. Deflecting it with ease, it shattered before it could even come into contact with his body. He chuckled.

"It's not fair," she muttered, throwing an aimless ball of light into the air.

"Not fair that you'll never be as powerful as me?"

"Yes." Throwing her father a withering glance, she got rid of the ball of light and started pacing. "How am I supposed to be a sorceress if I can't even teleport?! It takes you like zero energy to do it."

"That's because I've been doing it for thousands of years," Loki offered consolingly, losing his previous mock arrogance. "You're sixteen, Eira. I barely mastered teleporting by the time I was a century old."

"Ughhhh!" Her pacing increased and she had another exasperated fist of hair. "And with my mortal blood, it'll probably be longer than that! I hate this; why couldn't I be born a complete Frost Giant like you?"

Loki's brows shot up at that. While he preferred his Asgardian form, his daughter loved flouncing around in her blue skin. It wasn't nearly as pigmented as his—Darcy's blood kept Eira looking human since she inherited her eyes. When Odin held her when she was born, her skin changed to the color of an Aesir, but as she grew older she preferred the sky blue tint.

While Loki was an introvert, Eira definitely inherited her straightforwardness from Darcy. She was never afraid to speak her mind even when it wasn't always appropriate, so this combined with her affinity for tricks was an interesting combination. Needless to say, the palace was a lot livelier than it had been in thousands of years.

"Why is it so important to you?" He pondered aloud, taking a seat on one of the benches. He patted to the spot next to him, beckoning her to join and she sat down with a huff.

"I want to travel like mom. And pull amazing pranks like you. Everything would be so much easier if I could just teleport! I can already make myself transparent." She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "See, try putting a hand through me!" She said, trying not to break concentration through squinted eyes.

"Hmm." Loki touched her stomach and began to tickle her, making Eira laugh and break her transparency.

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed, composing herself. "You weren't supposed to use your own magic."

"All's fair in love and war," Loki replied.

"Hmph. At least Garik can't use magic. He can barely lift one of the tables in the dining hall!" She said, referring to her older cousin.

"You can't even lift one of those tables," Loki chastised and Eira shrugged.

"I can always move it with magic."

"You're learning well." Smiling, he patted her head like a child and rose. "I think dinner will be ready soon. Will you join us?"

Casting a look to the descending sun, Eira took her father's arm. "I guess magic training can wait."

* * *

"Pass the grapes."

"Get it yourself."

"I can't reach! You're RIGHT there, Eira."

"So?"

"Moooom! Eira won't pass me the grapes!"

"Eira, stop being a brat." Darcy rolled her eyes as she placed a cluster onto her son's plate.

He scooted himself closer to the table—he was short for his age at ten. He resembled Darcy in almost every sense except for his green eyes, but he held a demure personality that was endearing.

"Not my fault Rowan can't do magic."

"Eira!" Darcy scolded and took her seat as the doors swung open, revealing Loki.

"I  _can_ do magic. I just…I don't like it very much," Rowan finished lamely, shuffling the vegetables on his plate.

Loki took the chair next to Darcy and kissed her cheek chastely. "Odin needed me."

" _I_ need you," she replied with a smile, causing Eira to roll her eyes.

"Get a room."

"What's with the attitude today?" Darcy snapped, jabbing her meat with a fork.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do."

"Not really."

"Girls." Loki sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead.

A pregnant silence followed, save for Rowan's quiet munching and occasional clatter of utensils.

"How was your day?" Loki ventured, hoping to settle Darcy's steam.

She brightened immediately and put her fork and knife down, looking up at him. "Great. SHIELD finally got their act together and now dwarven jewels are being exported worldwide. And," she shuffled the bag next to her chair, "I have gifts."

Rowan perked up at that. "Presents?"

"Mhmm. For my favorite boy." Loki made a face as she said that and Darcy took out a box of mallomars and broke the seal on the package, causing Rowan's eyes to widen.

"Is that chocolate?"

"Even better." Pushing a mallomar towards him, he disregarded his dinner and ate it in one bite.

"Shouldn't you have given it to him when he was done eating his dinner?" Loki asked with humor. Darcy shrugged, smiling as she observed the emotions play on Rowan's face.

"ANOTHER!" He screamed, lunging for the box.

"Finish your dinner." Loki waved his hand over the box, causing it to disappear and Rowan pouted.

"Daddy's mean."

Eira snorted and snapped her fingers, making the box appear again. Loki pursed his lips in contemplation. "That's a new trick."

"You were lazy; I could feel the remnants of your magic."

A grin spread across Loki's face with pride. "Duly noted," he said. Rowan was still flailing across the table trying to reach the mallomars and Loki inched it further and further from his grasp, increasing his frustration.

"DAD!" He exclaimed, going bluer in the face.

"Are you angry?" Loki taunted.

"YES!"

"Project that anger," he instructed.

"I don't know what that means! Gimme the candy  _now_!"

"Loki, you're being mean." Darcy laughed, going over to her son and patted him on the head affectionately.

"Finish for mommy?" Rowan looked up at her with a doe like expression.

Loki rolled his eyes, turning his attention to them. "Stop babying him."

"I'm not!" And with that, she picked up a napkin and began to dab his mouth, making Rowan crinkle his nose.

"I'll finish," he said quickly, untangling himself from his mother's grasp. Darcy smiled in success and sat back down.

They continued eating in a comfortable silence, until Eira shifted her chair back with a creak. She had finished her food and looked uncomfortably at Darcy and threw a wary glance at Loki.

"So…Have you been to Jotunheim lately?" She asked quietly, making everyone look up.

Gnawing at her drumstick, Darcy nodded. "Yesterday, actually. Why do you ask?"

Cheeks flushing marine, Eira got up quickly. "No reason. May I be excused?"

"Uh, sure." With a confused expression, Darcy nodded and Eira hurried out.

"She's lying," Loki said with a frown.

"No sh-" Darcy caught herself with one look at Rowan who was innocently trying to get through his peas. "Sheep," she corrected. Loki looked at her with amusement.

"You were saying?"

"I don't need the god of lies to tell me that she's lying."

"Hmm." Looking thoughtful, Loki rested his head in his palm. "Perhaps an investigation needs to occur."

" _Please_ don't send a projection to spy on her. I'll go ask. Make sure Rowan finishes his dinner, okay?" Darcy gathered up her plates and walked out in the direction of Eira's room.

Loki looked at Rowan, observing the child agonizingly spear a pea with each fork spike and inserting it into his mouth. He watched him do this about ten times until Loki grew frustrated watching.

"Would you like a spoon?" He asked, offering a large golden one that he fabricated on the spot.

"Nope." He speared another pea and Loki glanced at the large pile of peas in the corner of the plate.

"But it would be much easier. See?" He scooped some of his own peas into the spoon.

"I'm okay," Rowan simply replied and continued. Loki was becoming more aware of the fire crackling in the background and the faint footsteps echoing from the guards. His son was a mystery to him; he liked to keep to himself-save for clinging to Darcy-and often shied away from him. If he didn't know any better, Loki would gather that he was afraid of him. But that was silly; he had done nothing to frighten the boy (Darcy made sure of that) and the most he ever did was tease him gently. Surely their son had a good backbone.

"Would you like your mallomars back?"

Rowan looked at his father disapprovingly and shook his head. "Mom said I need to finish all my food."

"But  _I'm_ saying you don't have to." Loki made the box reappear next to him and pushed it towards his plate.

Conflicted, Rowan looked back and forth between his plate and the bright yellow box. "I'll wait," he decided, eating another pea. Loki had to keep himself from groaning—at this rate, he would be here all night and he had plans with Darcy to…

An idea struck him. It would have repercussions, but he saw no harm other than their child being deprived of whatever nutrients he would garner from peas. With a blink, all of Rowan's food turned into mallomars, causing him to jump back in surprise. Eyes widening, he looked at his father with fear and prodded one of the confections with his fork.

"Is it safe?"

Looking offended, "Of course it is! Now eat up. It's still your food; I just ah—Modified it, if you will."

With a cautious bite, Rowan smiled.

* * *

"Eira! Open the door!" Darcy pounded against the gold in exasperation. "Don't make me get your father!"

The threat hung in the air and the door creaked open, revealing Eira on her bed with her nose buried in a book, a picture reminiscent of Loki.

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, Darcy looked around at the scattered mess. Books were piled on top of each other and papers were strewn across the floor. An order to tidy up the room was on the tip of Darcy's tongue, but she realized with humor that she wasn't much better, and if weren't for Loki, her room would be just as bad if not worse.

The book she was reading was written in the native language of the Frost Giants. Darcy knew a little bit of it; after years of travelling, she began to pick up bits and pieces from each language, but Jotunn was still on her list of things to learn.

Eira took a huge interest in her Frost Giant heritage even though Loki still wanted nothing to do with it. When she was old enough to control her magic, she immediately made herself blue and even bugged Loki to do the same. She was still young then; innocent with wide eyed wonder, and she idolized her father on an endearing level.

As she grew older and into the recluse teenager that she is currently, her attachment to Loki withdrew and her love of books increased. Even though she was young, the library in Asgard wasn't enough so whenever Darcy travelled, she always picked up another book to add to Eira's collection.

"I thought you read that one already."

"I'm reading it again," Eria replied quietly, flipping another page. "It's one of my favorites."

"I'm going to Jotunheim tomorrow," Darcy said suddenly.

Putting her book down, Eira looked up. "You are?"

"Mhmm. Is there anything you want me to get you? Snow cone? Book? A hot, or should I say cold, Jotunn boy?"

Cheeks flushing a deep blue, she cried out an indignant, "MOM!"

"I knew it!" Darcy began giggling and took the nearest pillow and whacked her. "Who's the boy?"

"I never said there was one!" She was ducking behind a pillow, voice muffled by the fabric.

"Your face gives it all away. Now tell me!"

Eira held her position under the pillow while Darcy continued to prod her. Darcy prided herself by walking the fine line between being the cool mom she always wanted while having a sturdy influence on her children. Most of the royal disciplining was left to Loki—Even though she had been permanently living in Asgard for almost 70 years, she had a lot to learn about the royal duties of Asgard and how it played a part in the rest of the universe.

Odin was still on the throne—no surprise there, eighty years were practically nothing to him, but he fell into Odinsleep more and more, leaving Thor to run Asgard. He and Jane had three children so far; one boy and two girls and they couldn't be happier, save for Jane's homesickness.

Darcy would be lying if she said she didn't miss Earth. After the war broke out, she and Loki retreated back to Asgard since they weren't going to get involved despite Darcy's protests and severe loyalty to SHIELD.

It was to be expected, she supposed, after years of scientific research and contact with the unknown. Magic was discovered, the bridge became public, and more and more countries were sending their own people to make contracts with places like Alfheim. Eventually, everyone began to fight for their rights for trade and alliances, with the United States playing leader, and as usual, war broke out after a spy was found in the CIA headquarters.

The war had ended years ago, but not without permanent damage and Earth was still recovering from it, despite the current commerce that was taking place between the nine realms. The Avengers agreed not to take sides, leaving Thor and Loki to retreat back to Asgard where things were less hectic. Darcy and Jane followed of course, and continued their lives.

And time went on. The universe seemed smaller to Darcy, but not in a bad way. She was glad Asgardians could leave their bubble and venture out, including her own children. Eira loved Jotunheim, and even though she was met with wary eyes, they welcomed her as she observed their culture and asked questions. Loki was unnerved by her whole fascination. (He had only turned blue for her about four times in Eira's lifetime, and only once was to show her how her Frost Giant powers worked)

"I'll tell you if you promise not to tell dad," Eira said quietly, moving the pillow so Darcy could see her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

"I promise," Darcy confirmed with a hearty nod and Eira threw the pillow aside, still flushed azure.

"You know the prince of Jotunheim?" She began, fiddling with her hands.

Darcy smiled; Fafner had wound up keeping the crown after his success with rebuilding Jotunheim. Even though they still had a long way to go, his people were happier and she even attended his official coronation slash wedding.

"Hakon, I think his name is?" She offered. Eira nodded, the blush on her face becoming more and more evident.

"You like him," Darcy stated matter-of-factly, only making Eira more embarrassed and Darcy's grin widened.

"I met him in their town square while you were in a meeting. After I introduced myself, he gave me a tour and even bought me a necklace made from one of their crystals."

"AHHHH!" Darcy squealed, making Eira recoil with widening eyes. "THAT'S ADORABLE." And then she began to hug Eira tight as she gave her mother a sheepish smile, wondering why she was so afraid of telling her in the first place.

"Can I see the necklace? This is so cute. Almost cuter than me and your father."

Eira made a face of disgust. "You can see the necklace, but don't mention you and dad. That's gross."

"It's the blue, right?"

Eira blinked as she waved her hand to make the necklace appear. "What?"

"Blue! Their skin. It's hot. When your father first turned blue I didn't think much, but I convinced him to do it more often and—"

"STOP. I told you to not mention you and dad!" She waved the crystal in front of Darcy with the dim light reflecting off of it.

"It's beautiful, honey."

"I know." Eira gave a small smile and made it vanish again, locking it away in whatever magical space she used.

"Do you want to come to Jotunheim with me?" Darcy said, getting up from her bed with a mischievous smirk.

"Yes," Eira replied, looking giddy.

"Be ready by morning, okay?" She made way for the door as Eira nodded and picked her book back up, with a full blown smile on her features.

* * *

"…And then your Uncle Thor swung his hammer and called thunder from the sky and then the Bilgesnipe all fled."

"What did you do, dad?"

"I was busy throwing daggers," Loki replied with a hint of smugness.

Rowan looked at him admiringly and snuggled back into the blankets. "Then what happened?"

"We returned home with glory. Volstagg was particularly happy that day since we took home the meat of some of the beasts we slayed."

"That's so cool," He remarked with a content smile.

"Are you ready for bed now?" Loki asked, bringing the blanket up closer to his son's face. Rowan yawned sleepily and nodded.

"Night, dad." Loki patted his head gently and proceeded to get up, and saw Darcy standing at the door with a stupid grin plastered on her face. She went over to Rowan and kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you," she said, gesturing for Loki to turn off the torches. He did so and they walked from their son's room with Darcy still smiling like a fool as she took Loki's hand and led him to their room.

"How was the talk with Eira?" He asked as Darcy pulled him down onto the bed where she made herself comfortable.

" _Very_  good," she said simply with an all too happy expression.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Is there something wrong with her?"

Darcy pulled Loki in, arms wrapping around his neck and leaned up for a kiss. "Not at all."

"Stop trying to change the subject," he murmured between kisses and broke apart.

"She's coming with me to Jotunheim tomorrow, don't worry."

Loki rolled his eyes. "We're losing our daughter to the Jotuns."

Darcy cracked a grin and laughed. "Not too far off."

The feral look in Loki's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Darcy as she inwardly gulped.

"Who is he?" He asked dangerously, getting up from the bed.

"Loki, relax. It's just a crush."

"I'll kill him," he snarled as Darcy grabbed his wrist. "She's too young."

"Oh please, I was making out with lots of guys by the time I was sixteen. She hasn't even had a boyfriend yet thanks to you!"

As soon as the words  _make out_  left Darcy's lips, Loki's eyes darkened even more. "She doesn't need a boyfriend."

"You're being ridiculous," Darcy huffed and began to go through the large wardrobe to find her pajamas. "What's going to happen when she's an adult?"

"She has eternity. I think we should instill a rule of no dating until a century old."

"I met you at 21," Darcy said with a pointed look.

"That's different—you were mortal and we were friends long before we were lovers."

Looking wistful, "I had a crush on you the first day I met you, though."

Loki's jaw untightened as he came behind Darcy and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you think she's ready?" He murmured into her hair.

"Yes, yes, she'll be fine. It's not like we're sending her off for some secret mission. God knows Clint and Natasha had to deal with that."

Loki sighed and relented. "If you say so, but if any boy hurts her, do not be surprised if someone goes missing."

Spinning around to meet his eyes, Darcy brushed away a strand of hair from his forehead. "Okay," she said, guiding him back to the bed.

"You're not opposed to any treachery this boy will induce?" He asked with surprise.

"Hey, if he messes with our daughter then it's his fault and probably deserves it. You're the one with the magic voodoo, so I'll leave that to you."

Dimming the lights, Loki beamed. "Excellent."

* * *

"Thanks for inviting me to dinner uh…I'm sorry, what should I call you?" Loki had to prevent himself from twitching as the young prince of Jotunheim extended his blue hand to shake his own. Next to the boy stood Eira; hand clasped firmly in his and looking at her father nervously. She had made him promise to be nice, apparently the boy was nervous too since Loki's reputation was renowned.

"Loki is fine," he said stiffly, shaking his hand and watched as the color of his own arm turn blue. After two months of meeting the boy in Jotunheim, Darcy had the idea of inviting for dinner on Asgard as if it was the most normal thing in the universe. He supposed it should be; diplomatic relations were doing well, and Odin was pleased that a possible contract that would be deeper than words would be forming between them. Loki didn't want to think about that just yet as he gritted his teeth and formed a halfhearted smile, gesturing for them to enter the palace as they walked along the Bifrost.

He walked ahead of them to avoid awkwardness and eye contact, but he listened between his daughter's hushed words and the prince's admiration of Asgard.

Darcy was already waiting for them with Rowan trailing behind her at her beck and call, even though the servants had the food taken care of. Darcy had never adjusted to royal life, and that made him love he even more, if it was possible. It had been years since she had become immortal, and even in the midst of the chaos on Earth and the birth of their children, her personality never wavered. It was still refreshing to return to her after a long day of being surrounded by Asgardians or any other stuffy creature.

Looking back, he would have been content living a life serving out his duties to the throne, but that was before Darcy. He never realized how much of a light she brought into his life until they returned back to Asgard. Despite his gripes with Midgard in previous years, he actually enjoyed the little interactions he had with the Avengers and other members of SHIELD. Everyone was rich with personality. That wasn't to say the people on Asgard weren't, it was just that they had grown up with the same customs and thought patterns for centuries, to the point where they all blurred together in his mind.

Dinner went by with awkwardness, with Darcy making conversation, attempting to make the boy feel more comfortable. He noticed that the guards looked on his family with wonder, and Loki laughed to himself at what a sight they made. A Frost Giant, two half Frost Giants, an Asgardian, and a former mortal all dining as one.

Eira asked to be dismissed so that she could show Hakon around the palace, so they left nervously with their hands intertwined. Darcy shot Loki a smile, and he shrugged in return. At least one of them was happy with the new development.

Rowan also left to play with his cousins who invited him to play in the gardens. He worried about him—ten years old, and still not a speck of magic to be seen.

"Hey, do you want to go out?" Darcy asked, finishing up the remnants of her dinner.

"Out where?" He asked, looking around.

"I was thinking of home," She said with a scoot of her chair. Loki raised his eyebrows.

"You can't be serious. Eira's probably doing despicable things with that boy, and you want to leave them? To Midgard no less?"

"Oh, they'll be fine. I was talking with her earlier; they're taking it slow since they've only been dating a month, and he's such a gentleman. And besides, looking at them makes me think of us and I do miss being alone with you. Has being in Asgard for a long time turned you into a stuffy old man?"

With a quick turn, he took both of Darcy's wrists and immediately transported them to Midgard in a place both of them knew very well. She fell back in surprise, but he kept a firm hold on her as they landed.

"I can't believe this place is still standing," Darcy remarked, glancing up into the star flecked sky and made herself comfortable on the bannister surrounding the roof of her old apartment building.

"Technically it's gone through numerous renovations," Loki said, situating himself next to her and conjured up a futon and blanket in case they wanted to sit. The smoky air of New York City was still prevalent despite Stark's ongoing green energy, and he remembered with a pang that Iron Man was long gone, and Stark Industries was now being run by his daughter while his son flew around as the new Iron Man.

"I know, but still. The moon I saw every day when I lived here is still here despite the war and everything that has changed in the world."

"You're feeling oddly philosophical," he commented, conjuring up a vanilla latte and handing it to her. He was met with a megawatt grin as she sipped it hurriedly, paying no mind to the heat that would temporarily scald her tongue.

"And Starbucks. Of course  _that_ survives."

"I don't think the mortals could function without their coffee," he said with humor, but both of them knew it to be true.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. A couple of fireworks were being launched into the sky, and he wondered what the occasion was.

"Oh. It's July, isn't it?" Darcy said aloud, voice distant.

"I suppose it is. Independence day?"

"Mhmm. Looks like the aftermath, though. Everyone would still be up if it was today."

Loki sat down on the futon, and Darcy joined him as he wrapped the blanket around them despite it being warm out. Snuggling closer, Darcy let her eyes wander to the sky as she observed the airplanes.

"Do you miss it?" He asked, tightening his arms around her.

"I do," She admitted quietly, making his heart sink a little. While he knew that Darcy would have lived a full life as a mortal, he couldn't help but think that maybe in the midst of her becoming an Aesir that he's deprived her of the life she could have lived. Granted, there were outside factors like the war, and the fact that she was already knee deep in SHIELD before they even became close, but he knew the pain she felt when she had to say goodbye to her family and friends forever.

Even though she was physiologically a goddess, Darcy felt anything but, and he knew that, and even preferred it. Yes, she was always stunning in her Asgardian regalia that she sported when visiting other worlds, but within the peace of their family, she preferred her old sweats and t-shirts. Despite being a goddess, apparently childbirth was still painful, but Darcy assured him that it was all worth it. He was spared the strange cravings and vomiting that most mortal pregnant woman seemed to obtain during carrying, and for that he was grateful.

"But I don't belong here anymore."

Loki broke out from his reverie and turned his head to listen as Darcy kept her eyes towards the sky. The city was getting quieter, but the faint rush of cars was still in the background.

"When everyone…Left, I think a part of me did too, and when all was said and done, I knew it was time to move on. I have I have you, Eira, Rowan, and a whole other extended family back in Asgard. I'll always miss here—the skyline, the route I took every day to work, and even the sandy streets of New Mexico when I used to live there, but there's no point in lingering on it if it doesn't exist anymore, you know?"

He nodded in mute understanding, having come to accept that Midgard was a part of him too.

Darcy turned to face him and stroked his cheek gently. "I love Asgard, I really do. And I love my life. I wouldn't change any part of it. You've given me so much and then some."

Loki moved in to kiss her forehead and sighed in content. Centuries of self-doubt had yet to leave, but her words put him at ease as she smiled up at him. "The feeling is mutual, love," he said and noticed that she had finished her latte.

"Do you want another?"

"Do I have to throw it on the ground?" She quirked, making the motion of slamming it against the roof.

"Unnecessary," he replied as he made another, this time with a muffin.

"Mmmm, chocolate. Some things never change at least," she said, biting into it. Loki made a scone for himself and finished it in three bites.

"Should we go back now? I still don't like the idea of leaving Eira alone with that boy."

Darcy continued sipping her latte after finishing the remnants of her muffin. "Sure, but you need to chill out." Pausing after she said that, she began laughing. "No pun intended," she added, but the damage was already done and Loki was scowling with humor.

Darcy stood to join Loki as he waved his hand to the side to make the futon and blanket vanish. He looked to her, extending his other hand, and she gripped it firmly with a pleased expression donning her face with one last look around.

"Ready?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

She nodded as she took a deep breath and let Loki's magic pull her back to Asgard. They landed before she could even blink, and they were met with an amusing scene involving Eira and Hakon chasing Rowan and Thor's daughters around with a ball of light.

Squeezing his hand, Darcy leaned up to whisper into Loki's ear, "Told you."

As much as he hated being proven wrong, the corners of his mouth turned upward as he observed Rowan dash behind a pillar with his younger cousin clinging to his tunic for safety.

The side doors slid open, revealing Thor and Jane, arms intertwined and laughing about something. They spotted him and Darcy, and waved as they made their way over to them, dodging Eira's light in the process.

"All is well, brother?" Thor asked with a smile as one of his daughters came from behind and clung to his leg. He let go of Jane's hand to pick his daughter up and swung her onto his shoulders. She cried out with glee and took her father's hair in her fists and began to pull to the right. Thor let out a hearty laugh and gave Loki an apologetic look.

"We'll talk later," he promised and sped off to go after Eira who created a snowball and hit her uncle square in the back. Loki nodded in amusement, and looked to the side to make conversation with Darcy, but she was already chatting with Jane looking thoroughly engrossed.

It doesn't matter, Loki thought to himself as he found a chair to recline in.

They had all the time in the world.

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks! I'm going to have a huge author's note/closing thoughts/fun facts about the story that can be found on my blog, if any of you are interested. I don't want to waste space on here with my ramblings, but I do want to say a few things!
> 
> I hope this wrapped up a few loose ends, and I might revisit this universe sometime in the future so be on the lookout for that!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is loosely based upon One Day by David Nicholls, which showcases the lives of two people for twenty years. You don't need to read the book to understand the story; I'll just be using the structure and I'm using this as a disclaimer since I did not come up with the idea :)


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